Top 10 Idiots

Top 10 Idiots's Journal

December 9, 2021

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-16: C.R.E.A.M.: Conspiracies Rule Everything Around Me Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-16: C.R.E.A.M.: Conspiracies Rule Everything Around Me Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Welcome welcome welcome! What’s up New York City??? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? It’s great to be back in the Big Apple here at the beautiful Grammercy Theater! Now that we have 5 full years under our belts, it’s time to start thinking about the next five! What will happen? Will Trump declare himself god? Will the Q nuts rise up and burn down Dealy Plaza? Will Kanye start a suicide cult in Wyoming? Will COVID-19 morph into a super virus that takes out all the red state voters? Only one way to find out! Next year is our annual wrap up of the year and what a truly insane and crazy year 2021 was! But we’ve got one more regular Top 10 for you and here it is! Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do! You know Bill Maher was right – the longer you spend in the virtual world the harder it is to relate to the real one. I mean come on, people have had entire wedding ceremonies in Minecraft. Now get ready for the next evolution of that – Metaverse weddings! That’s right – the Meta corporation, formerly known as Facebook has used VR technology to create an entire virtual world in which we live. It’s almost similar to the plot of that movie from a couple of years ago called “Ready Player One”. So yeah get ready for a whole slew of events to take place on your VR headset. Goodbye reality, it was nice knowing you! So if we have virtual weddings, does that mean that virtual divorces are far behind? And if we have virtual marriages, does that mean that virtual babies are far behind? Holy shit! We really are going to live in the Matrix! Goodbye, nice knowing everyone! OK enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first I have to play Bill Maher’s new rule - are you Kylie Jenner or are you Greta Thunberg?

So where do we begin for our penultimate Top 10 of 2021? We’ve got a lot for you so let’s not waste time in our next to last edition, shall we? In the number one slot this week is the Supreme Court (1). Yes, our far right Supreme Court is now deciding the fate on America’s stance on abortion and it’s left to a crazy cult member and a sloppy drunk known for assaulting women. Thanks MAGAs! In the second slot this week is the King MAGA himself (2) and the white washing of the January 6th attack on Congress has begun, so what is he concerned with? That’s right – the size of the crowd that attended the rally before hand! You can’t make this stuff up! In the number 3 slot this week is also That Guy (3). There’s a stunning, though hardly shocking revelation that he went through with the 2020 televised debate after getting infected, because that’s the kind of psychopath that he is. In the number 4 slot is the return of We’re All Gonna Die (4). So – Omicron Variant – mild version of what we’ve been through in the last 2 years or is it going to kill us all? Depends on what your media source is. In the number 5 slot this week is also the return of Top 10 Investigates! Stores like Apple and Neiman Marcus are getting hit hard with a series of “smash n grab” robberies, so what’s fueling this madness? We don’t know either! In the number 6 slot this week is 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 at the popularity of Q Anon and it’s becoming as popular as some major religions, so… what the fuck people? In the number 7 slot this week, we have a new “This Fucking Guy” (7) and this week we’re profiling far right Canadian self help guru Jordan Peterson who jus announced a huge speaking tour for 2022, and if he’s coming to your city, run the other way! In the number 8 slot this week, we have a new Conspiracy Corner (8) and this week, after 3 major NFL players got busted for presenting fake vaccine cards, how many more are out there? Adjust your tin foil hat accordingly! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week is a new I Need A Drink and this week, wait for your town to get bombarded by Santas who don’t care if you’re naughty or nice, they just want to drink and get rowdy! It’s the return of Santa Con! Yay!!! Finally this week, in Red State Diaries – what’s Marjorie Taylor Greene’s beef with Ilhan Omar? Well… you could say it’s racist, and well yeah it absolutely is racist. Plus we have some live music from our good friend Tom DeLonge and his band Angels & Airwaves! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]The Supreme Court
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America’s march towards a totalitarian religious theocratic society isn’t going to be something that makes the front page news. It’s happening behind the scenes. Ever wonder how the worst president in United States history got three Supreme Court justices including a guy who drinks too much and got accused of something called “boofing” (whatever that is)? Yeah it’s to decide these upcoming cases right here. Putting a guy who got blackout drunk and raped women in charge of handing the abortion issue is like putting the most socially awkward guy in the world in charge of social media. Oh wait, we actually did that. But one of the cooler heads in the room is absolutely Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who called it out how much this whole thing stinks. It’s literally the definition of partisan politics and we unfortunately have the deck stacked against us in deciding this issue.

The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which challenges the constitutionality of the 2018 Mississippi law known as the “Gestational Age Act.” The legislation bans abortions after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy—five weeks earlier than the state’s typical abortion restriction—and directly challenges the ruling of Roe vs. Wade in which the Supreme Court ruled that abortion access should be available up until at least the 24-week point of viability, or longer if the pregnancy threatens a patient’s life or health.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a consistent supporter of reproductive rights, challenged Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart late Wednesday morning about even taking up and overturning precedents that have been set by both Roe and the 1992 landmark Supreme Court case Casey vs. Planned Parenthood in which the court reaffirmed the 1973 Roe ruling. She then set her sights on just how damaging the present case could be to not just the court itself, but to the constitution and the country, as well.

“What hasn’t been at issue in the last 30 years is the line that Casey drew of viability. There has been some difference of opinion with respect to undue burden, but the right of a woman to choose, the right to control her own body, has been clearly set since Casey and never challenged. You want us to reject that line of viability and adopt something different. Fifteen justices over 50 years have, or, I should say, 30 since Casey, have reaffirmed that basic viability line. Four had said no, two of them members of this court, but 15 justices have said yes, of varying political backgrounds. Now, the sponsors of this bill, the house bill in Mississippi, said we’re doing it because we have new justices,” Sotomayor said.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/12/1/2060512/--How-will-we-survive-Sonia-Sotomayor-calls-out-threat-to-SCOTUS-in-Mississippi-abortion-law-case

Yeah it’s truly disturbing that the fate of women’s rights in this country is being put in the hands of a guy who wants to date his own daughter. That’s like putting someone who endorses a fried chicken chain on a weight loss program. Oh wait, we did that too. But enough of that. What’s the future of abortion and women’s rights in America after this case goes through SCOTUS? Well it’s not a very good one from the future outcomes that are being predicted.

Dr. DeShawn Taylor considers herself fortunate to have spent a career working in states where the laws governing abortion are relatively straightforward.

But the owner of the Desert Star Family Planning clinic in Arizona knows the drama unfolding at the Supreme Court over Mississippi’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy could have immediate consequences for her practice as well.

"With the court's current composition, I am very concerned," said Taylor, an OB-GYN, noting the 6-3 conservative advantage on the high court. "Abortion would be outlawed in Arizona if we lost Roe v. Wade, and I don't think people understand that."

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a major challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week ban. The justices' decision could quickly involve other conservative states that have approved abortion bans in anticipation of a ruling.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/supreme-courts-decision-in-abortion-case-will-affect-dozens-of-states-beyond-mississippi/ar-AARi9UL

Happy Thursday everybody! Glad I could cheer everybody up! But then again this program is called “Top 10 Conservative Idiots” and we are here to report on the idiots. And here’s the thing about this too – the unholy trinity of Barrett, Kavanaugh, and Gorsuch - they were all grilled extensively about their allegiance to the court precedence in their Senate confirmation hearings. And these are the people who are going to decide the future of women’s rights in this country. Just… AHHH!!!!

During his contentious 2018 confirmation process, Kavanaugh won vital support from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), an abortion rights supporter, in part because she said he had privately reassured her that Roe was “settled law.”

On Wednesday, Kavanaugh listed more than a half-dozen major decisions in which the court had reversed its previous positions. The list included groundbreaking decisions about gay rights and school desegregation.

“If you think about some of the most important cases, the most consequential cases in this court’s history, there’s a string of them where the cases overruled precedent,” Kavanaugh said in an exchange with Julie Rikelman, the lawyer representing Mississippi’s sole abortion clinic, Jackson Women’s Health.

“If we think that the prior precedents are seriously wrong,” he added, why isn’t the proper approach to “not stick with those precedents in the same way that all those other cases didn’t?”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/01/kavanaugh-who-told-senate-roe-v-wade-was-settled-precedent-signals-openness-overturning-abortion-decision/

That’s an understatement! Who knows where this is headed? We’re currently in a chess match with the religious right and they’re close to checkmate. So what’s at stake in the event that Roe V. Wade is actually overturned? Let’s look at Texas where the issue of abortion, well, pretty much they have the worst abortion laws in the country, save for Mississippi. But this part of Texas’ abortion laws make it clear what the ultimate end game for the Christian right is on the abortion issue.

If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, most abortions in Texas would be a felony, the result of a recent state law that could hinge on a Mississippi case argued before the court earlier this month.

Justices on Dec. 1 took up a Mississippi law that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. During the arguments, the court’s conservative justices appeared open to upholding the state’s law. There also seemed to be some support for rescinding Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe’s earlier decision. A decision is expected around June.

Texas’ new abortion law effectively bans abortions after about six weeks. But during the same session lawmakers also passed what’s often called a “trigger” law in which abortion would be banned if the Roe or Casey rulings were overturned, “wholly or partly.” The law would go into effect 30 days after the decision. Those who perform an abortion could face up to 20 years in prison and up to life if “an unborn child dies as a result of the offense.”

“The goal of this bill is to end the practice of abortion in Texas,” said Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, a Southlake Republican who authored House Bill 1280.

Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article256286182.html

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[font size="8"] That Former Guy
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Moving on to much lighter news – treason! So we’re just three weeks away from the 1 year anniversary of the clusterfuck known as the January 6th insurrection of Congress. And as predicted, the conservatives are attempting to white wash the disaster they created as a sort of “MOVE ALONG! NOTHING TO SEE HERE! PLEASE DISPERSE!” kind of thing. As we have pointed out before, they attempted to commit treason against the United States government, that is a crime that is defined in the United States Constitution! We cannot under any circumstances let them get away with this. Oh but they’ll certainly try. And they will convince the people who turn into Fox, OAN, Newsmax, and all of the other conservative shit out there to comply with their every evil bidding. But none are so stupid and headstrong to try to whitewash the treason as the MAGA commander himself. While his useful idiots like Steve Bannon and Roger Stone are getting arrested in droves, guess what he’s complaining about? That’s right – his crowd size!

Hundreds of former President Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, breaking into Congress in a violent attempt to overthrow democracy that resulted in five deaths, dozens of injuries, and an untold number of questions about how it was allowed to happen, how to hold those responsible to account, and how to contend with the growing thirst for violence among the American right.

Trump has a question about Jan. 6, too: Why is no one talking about his crowd size at the rally that preceded the riot?

“It was a massive rally, with hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people. I think it was the largest crowd I’ve even spoken in front of before,” Trump told British conservative Nigel Farage in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, adding (falsely) that the real insurrection took place on Election Day.

“If you would have looked at the crowds, nobody wants to talk about that,” he continued. “I believe it was the biggest and most people — and I’ve spoken to very big crowds — I have never spoken in front of a crowd that size. Nobody ever talks about that.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-complains-jan-6-rally-crowd-size-coverage-1265771/

Remember last year when Trump literally compared himself to Nero? That analogy isn’t really that far off. People fucking DIED because of his bullshit. There was damage done to the Capitol complex in the fucking MILLIONS. His supporters were out for blood – quite literally! But in the Trump world, this is a new definition of the Wu Tang classic album C.R.E.A.M., but in this case we’ll call it “Conspiracies Rule Everything Around Me”. Thank you graphics department! Trump played the fiddle while Washington DC was literally burning around him!

The cost of repairing damages from the attack on the U.S. Capitol and related security expenses have already topped $30 million and will keep rising, Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton told lawmakers on Wednesday.

The events of Jan. 6, he said, were "difficult for the American people and extremely hard for all of us on campus to witness."

Blanton said that congressional appropriations committees have already approved a transfer request of $30 million to pay for expenses and extend a temporary perimeter fencing contract through March 31.

But more money will be needed, he added: "History teaches us that project costs for replacements and repairs beyond in-kind improvements across campus will be considerable and beyond the scope of the current budgetary environment."

The price tag will go even higher, Blanton told lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee, if the fence and other security measures are needed beyond March.
https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/02/24/970977612/architect-of-the-capitol-outlines-30-million-in-damages-from-pro-trump-riot

Sorry GOP but you don’t get to “MOVE ALONG! NOTHING TO SEE HERE!” your way out of this one, because it’s truly insane what happened and we may never know everyone who was there and we may never know the true extent of the damage that was done. And same goes for you, Mark Meadows, where were you on the 6th? There’s no way Trump was mortified by what was going on, he was probably toasting with his shit-eating grin and a thumbs up to the madness that was happening.

Former President Donald Trump was "mortified" in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot, Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, wrote in his new book.

"In the aftermath of the attack, President Trump was mortified," Meadows wrote in "The Chief's Chief."

Trump "knew that the media would take this terrible incident and twist it around. He also knew that his days on Twitter were probably numbered," the book said.

Trump was ultimately booted off most major social media platforms in the wake of the failed insurrection, including Facebook and Twitter, which cited the threat of additional violence. Multiple reports have also said that Trump watched the riot play out on television from his perch at the White House and ignored pleas from White House advisors and national security officials to step in and call off his supporters who were storming the Capitol.

When he did release a video as the violence was unfolding, Trump was sharply criticized for repeating the same lies about the election that provoked the frenzied mob in the first place, and for telling the rioters that "you're very special" and "we love you."
https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-meadows-says-trump-was-mortified-after-capitol-riot-2021-12

And by the way in case you’re wondering the caliber of person that Donald Trump attracts, let’s just say that he’s not attracting America’s best people. We’ve brought you countless tales of people who’ve been arrested and just can’t handle prison life, like real estate agent who inexplicably flies to the rally in a private jet, Jenna Ryan (see: Idiots #10-1 ) or that Q Anon Shaman guy (see: Idiots #10-4 ). But this is the quality person that went to the Capitol Riot and well, it’s quite possible these are the dumbest people on the planet.

The FBI has arrested a Donald Trump supporter from Michigan who was captured on video attacking law enforcement officers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and whose identity was confirmed with the help of a “FUCK YOU” tattoo on the middle finger of his left hand.

Justin Jersey of Michigan ― who was No. 106 on the FBI’s Capitol wanted page and known to online “Sedition Hunters” as #Fingerman ― was charged by indictment for his role in the Capitol attack. Authorities arrested him on Thursday and he is being held until a hearing before a D.C. judge. At the moment, a court-appointed lawyer is representing him in Detroit.

One of the citizen sleuths who helped identify Jersey told HuffPost that his identification was sent in to the FBI in August, about a month after the bureau circulated a video of Jersey attacking officers and asked the public to help identify him.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fingerman-capitol-attack-justin-jersey-trump_n_61a9091ee4b025be1af50402

[font size="8"]The Michigan Shooting
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So normally we don’t talk about this sort of thing on the Top 10. Because shootings unless they make world news aren’t exactly something to make fun of. But this is one of the weirder and more fucked up stories of 2021 so far. I’m sure by now you know about the horrifying story of a bullied kid from Michigan who went in and shot and killed four of his classmates. But that’s not the end of this story, oh no, it gets really weird really quickly. And this is also kind of a story about life imitating art because if you know popular music, it is pretty much a real life recreation of the Foster The People song “Pumped Up Kicks”. You know what? Let’s play that, shall we?

But now that the dust has settled from another day in the American gun toting society nightmare where you can be shot at, at any time of day, at anywhere, this is what we are stuck with. And the parents in this situation definitely aren’t helping things. But the weird part of this story actually starts at the beginning of it. Here’s what happened.

The day earlier, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley was found by a teacher to be viewing images of bullets on his phone during class. When questioned by a counselor and another staff member, Crumbley said he and his mother had recently gone to a shooting range and that shooting was a family hobby. The next day, Throne wrote, his parents confirmed his account.

The morning of the shooting, a teacher noticed drawings and writings allegedly done by Crumbley and reported them to school counselors and the dean of students. Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald described a violent drawing that included the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.” ... “Blood everywhere” was scrawled next to a drawing of a bullet, and a sketch of a bloody figure with two gunshot wounds was also found.

Crumbley was brought to the guidance counselor’s office, where he said the drawings were merely “part of a video game he was designing," Throne said in the note. Crumbley told counselors that he wanted to pursue video game design as a career. ... Crumbley’s parents were summoned to the school, and while waiting for them, he stayed in the office for an hour and a half, Throne wrote, “while counselors continued to observe, analyze and speak with” him.

Once they arrived, his parents were informed that they were to seek counseling for him within 48 hours or the school would contact Child Protective Services. His parents refused to take him home and left, leading counselors to send him back to class “rather than sent home to an empty house," Throne wrote.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/12/05/oxford-shooting-school-investigation-ethan-crumbley/

So that is the most fucked up thing about this story. The parents were called into school that day. The kid was meeting with the principal that day. He was caught searching for ammo on his phone, and he had the gun in his backpack that day. Oh and in case you were wondering – yes this story does get weirder and more fucked up the more you peel back the layers! So what happens when you find out your son is a murderer? You flee the cops! Because that’s what perfectly innocent people do, right?

The parents of the Michigan high school shooting suspect have reportedly gone missing after being charged in relation to the incident, CNN reports.

Local authorities confirmed they are searching for James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of accused Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, hours after they were each announced to face four counts of homicide involuntary manslaughter on Friday (December 3).

The parents were scheduled for an arraignment at 4:00 p.m. ET.

On Thursday (December 2), Oxford County prosecutor Karen McDonald criticized Crumbley's parents' actions as being "far beyond negligence" in relation to the incident and said a charging decision was expected to come by Friday.

Read more: https://1430kasi.iheart.com/content/2021-12-03-parents-of-michigan-shooter-have-gone-missing-after-charges-filed/.

Unless they disappear themselves, that is! So now the parents ran from the cops. And it’s no secret that the kids’ mom is a huge fan of our former president. Gee, you think that he might have been a bad role model for your son? Garbage in, garbage out. But like every mass shooting that’s happened in the last 20 years, the same damn question gets asked “could this have been prevented?”. Of course it could have been prevented! But we live in America, where guns have more rights than people do. And it’s absolutely concerning. So what happened the day of that could have prevented this?

Detailed descriptions of a wish to massacre classmates on his cellphone and in a journal. At least one social media post pointing to elation at access to a handgun bought by his dad. A mom who thanked Trump for “my right to bear arms.” And a meeting between his parents and school administrators about his conduct just hours before the attack.

Authorities on Wednesday identified the teenage suspect in the mass shooting a day earlier at Michigan’s Oxford High School as 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, painting a picture of a clear-eyed teen who planned and executed a rampage that left at least four students dead and seven others, a teacher among them, injured.

Crumbley, a sophomore, was previously flagged by administrators for “behavior in the classroom that they felt was concerning,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said Wednesday. He was called in to talk with school officials on Monday and Tuesday. Then, his parents were brought into the school the morning of the shooting for a face-to-face meeting about their son’s behavior, according to Bouchard. He wouldn’t say what the behavior was, and police weren’t informed about any potential issues prior to the tragic event.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ethan-crumbley-identified-as-oxford-high-school-michigan-mass-shooter

Well except in this case when you’re literally in the principal’s office with the fucking gun in your backpack!!! Just… I can’t even. Good thing we’re going on a break after next week because I need a long one after this story. It is in every sense of the word, an absolute clusterfuck. Don’t worry we will be following this story and bringing you any updates for now. But if that mother is any indication, yes, there is a connection to that former president we all know. This family is going to be in a whole heaping mess of trouble.

The boy’s father, James Crumbley, 45, has worked as a tech salesman and recently ran into legal trouble in Florida regarding child support payments. It is unknown if James’ current wife, Jennifer Crumbley, is Ethan’s mother. Two of James’ exes did not respond to The Daily Beast’s requests for comment.

Jennifer Crumbley, 43, worked as a real estate broker in the Oxford area, but her staff bio has now been taken down. Although James’ online presence demonstrates a preference for the Seattle Seahawks, his posts were not overtly political.

Jennifer, however, in November 2016, penned an open letter to President-Elect Donald Trump, which she posted on her blog.

“Mr. Trump, I actually love that you are a bad public speaker because that showed sincerity, and humility,” she wrote. “You changed your mind, and you said ‘so what.’ You made the famous ‘grab them in the pussy’ comment, did it offend me? No. I say things all the time that people take the wrong way, do I mean them, not always. Do I agree that you should of (sic) shown your tax returns? No. I don’t care what you do or maybe don’t pay in taxes, I think those are personal and if the Gov’t can lock someone up over $10,000 of unpaid taxes and you slipped on by, then that shows the corruption.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ethan-crumbley-identified-as-oxford-high-school-michigan-mass-shooter

[font size="8"]We’re All Gonna Die: Omicron Variant
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Hey everyone! Guess what? We’re all gonna die! Woooooooooooooooooooooooo! Wooooooooo! Wooooo! Woo. Of course that’s been the mentality the last 18 months that we’ve been living under this virus called COVID-19. And I remember when I first brought this to everybody’s attention in Idiots #8-4. Of course who knew that we’d be in this mess two years later and that it would fundamentally alter the entire world as we once knew it? Well, nearly half the Greek alphabet later, we’re up to the Omicron variant that originated in South Africa. So what does this hold for the latest round of COVID madness? Well, let’s say that if you haven’t got your vaccine by now… what the hell are you waiting for? This virus is an absolute menace and the sooner it’s controlled the better! So by now of course the entire world is coming to grips with the latest mutant variant. Could it do more damage than Delta? Probably. But then again everything so far is “probably”.

A potentially more transmissible variant of the coronavirus, which causes covid-19, is raising concern around the globe.

Health authorities say the new variant, known by the Greek letter omicron, was first identified in southern Africa. Scientists there quickly put the world on alert, noting that the variant had an unusually high number of mutations, including some that could make it adept at evading the body’s natural or vaccine-acquired immune response.

Cases have since been confirmed in more than four dozen countries — including the United States, where officials say there are signs of community spread.

World leaders have responded by placing new restrictions on travel, boosting vaccination drives, increasing testing and encouraging an already pandemic-fatigued public to double down on such measures as wearing masks and social distancing. Vaccine makers say they stand ready to tweak their shots if needed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/11/26/faq-new-variant-omicron/

Calm down, we’re not gonna die. Of course I said that back in 2020 and look what happened – we spent nearly 20 months of our lives stuck at home with nowhere to go and literally reaching the end of our Netflix and Hulu cues. But two years later, we’ve got a cure people! And since we live in a country where half the population refuses to listen to the other half, we’ve got a large percentage of the population not taking a free cure and going out of their way to not take it! At least the WHO has the answers and if you’re thinking of throwing out those face masks, don’t do it just yet!

Measures used to counter the delta variant should remain the foundation for fighting the coronavirus pandemic, even in the face of the new omicron version of the virus, World Health Organization officials said Friday, while acknowledging that the travel restrictions imposed by some countries may buy time.

While about three dozen countries worldwide have reported omicron infections, including India on Thursday, the numbers so far are small outside of South Africa, which is facing a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and where the new variant may be becoming dominant. Still, much remains unclear about omicron, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it makes people more seriously ill, or whether it can evade vaccine protection.

“Border control can delay the virus coming in and buy time. But every country and every community must prepare for new surges in cases,” Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, told reporters Friday during a virtual news conference from the Philippines. “The positive news in all of this is that none of the information we have currently about omicron suggests we need to change the directions of our response.”

That means continuing to push for higher vaccination rates, abiding by social-distancing guidelines, and wearing masks, among other measures, said WHO Regional Emergency Director Dr. Babatunde Olowokure.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-philippines-manila-world-health-organization-77142314f66839f0aa15d47c8d0850a8

Oh calm down cute CGI characters! We’re not going to die yet! So yeah we have a new mutant on our hands and nobody has any answers! But remember when we said “get the vaccine”? I mean exactly that – GET THE DAMN VACCINE! Trust me, I’m related to an emergency room doctor, you do not want any part of this! And yeah not at all surprisingly, the new mutant is occurring among… DRUM ROLL… the unvaccinated population! I’ve been slapping my head so much that my forehead is now a bright red color, and I’m literally all out of fucks to give at this point!

South Africa’s rapid increase in COVID-19 cases attributed to the new omicron variant is resulting in mostly mild symptoms, doctors say.

“We’ve seen a sharp increase in cases for the past 10 days. So far they have mostly been very mild cases, with patients having flu-like symptoms: dry coughs, fever, night sweats, a lot of body pains,” said Dr. Unben Pillay, a general practitioner in Gauteng province where 81% of the new cases have been reported.

“Most of these patients have been treated at home,” Pillay told an online press briefing Monday. “Vaccinated people tend to do much better. We have not seen a vast increase in hospitalizations, but this is still early days. Hospitalizations often come several days after a rise in confirmed cases.”

Most of the new cases in South Africa have been among people in their 20s and 30s, and doctors note that age group generally has milder symptoms of COVID-19 in any case. They warn that older people infected by the new variant could have more severe symptoms.
https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2021/11/omicron-variant-cases-in-south-africa-mostly-among-unvaccinated-president-biden-speaks-about-us-efforts.html

Yeah probably. Just give the anti-vaxxers enough time to work their… um… what’s the opposite of magic? Yeah whatever that is! But that said it is great to live in the information age isn’t it? While it has brought out the best and worst in society, one thing it has done is that it has made identifying this latest virus that much faster and we’re able to deal with it now, where we weren’t able to in 2020. But what if COVID is an evolved version of the common cold? That’s something that scientists are rushing to find answwes to with this latest version of the virus. Could we all die? Probably. And probably not. That’s the beauty of science!

The Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 likely acquired at least one of its mutations by picking up a snippet of genetic material from another virus - possibly one that causes the common cold - present in the same infected cells, according to researchers.

This genetic sequence does not appear in any earlier versions of the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, but is ubiquitous in many other viruses including those that cause the common cold, and also in the human genome, researchers said.

By inserting this particular snippet into itself, Omicron might be making itself look "more human," which would help it evade attack by the human immune system, said Venky Soundararajan of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based data analytics firm nference, who led the study posted on Thursday on the website OSF Preprints.

This could mean the virus transmits more easily, while only causing mild or asymptomatic disease. Scientists do not yet know whether Omicron is more infectious than other variants, whether it causes more severe disease or whether it will overtake Delta as the most prevalent variant. It may take several weeks to get answers to these questions.
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-variant-may-have-picked-up-piece-common-cold-virus-2021-12-03/

[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Smash N Grabs
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It's time to investigate beyond the headlines. This is Top 10 Investigates!

High end retailers and department stores across America are becoming the victims of something called “Smash n grab robberies”. There’s even an AC/DC song called “Smash N Grab”:

It’s hit everything from mom and pop businesses at the Del Amo, California swap meet to ultra-high end retailers like Louis Vuitton. But these aren’t just a mere string of robberies, these are carefully planned attacks designed to quickly go in, loot the place, and leave. But what’s fueling these mobs? There’s many different theories out there about what is causing this phenomenon. Authorities are baffled and few arrests, if any have been made. It’s left retailers and store owners stunned about what to do in case this happens again. And there’s even been several attempts to stop future smash and grab robberies from happening. But right now there’s nothing that can stop them and the police don’t have a lot of answers or solutions to what’s causing these problems. Can they be prevented? That is something that authorities are looking into. But the business owners are looking into solutions because they want to protect their stores and their merchandise from being looted.

C-Bond Systems (the “Company” or “C-Bond”) (OTC: CBNT), a nanotechnology solutions company, announced today that its Patriot Glass Solutions division is urging business owners and landlords to protect businesses and property from smash-and-grab robberies, gunfire, and break-ins with Patriot Glass Solutions’ forced entry and ballistic-resistant window film applications. To see our security solutions in action, watch our video here: https://bit.ly/3l93oZV

This month thieves have smashed windows and looted stores for thousands of dollars in merchandise. Patriot Glass Solutions can help prevent this criminal activity by protecting personal, commercial and government property from looting, rioting, break-ins, and gunfire. Its leading products are C-Bond BRS, a ballistic-resistant film system, and C-Bond Secure, a multi-purpose glass strengthening primer and window film mounting solution that deters forced entry.

“Businesses from Home Depot to Apple to Nordstrom and many more have been hit by smash-and-grab robberies this November and this illegal trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down,” stated Michael Wanke, President of Patriot Glass Solutions. “Our window film solutions are in use at numerous schools, government offices, media headquarters, jewelry stores, and more to prevent potential loss of property and protect personal safety. We provide a cost-effective way to reinforce glass and windows and empower business owners and landlords to fortify their facilities and protect against this type of crime.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/given-recent-increase-smash-grab-133000562.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACUQ131MT_dcPo_8iu_hM1Y7GwerkyPMAJRuvASRZkCl-8X8hraiOTQT5g1SW85eI7E7ZyKpTx8TprSirbuaCiZIX3mL-7sM_zihqG5IHehj-jI3JeRStaqL_PQ3pEM8B-lAf01Cb9ZRRInXK5Ot9-O2UHVvHt0YhXaIM31spD2_

The bad thing is that you can’t arrest them if you don’t know who they are, or can even attempt to find the stolen loot. But we do know what happens during one of them. Footage obtained on a Nordstrom security camera of one of the stores that was looted caught footage of a robbery in progress – the masked robbers smash the store windows, grab whatever they can, and get into cars that are waiting outside for a quick getaway. Just look at what happened to a Nordstrom in downtown Los Angeles during one of these robberies.

A Nordstrom (JWN.N) department store in a Los Angeles mall on Monday night became the latest target in a string of "smash-and-grab" robberies that have hit luxury retailers in California and Illinois as the holiday shopping season approaches.

The Los Angeles Police Department said it had taken three suspects into custody. Local reports said as many as 20 people may have been involved in the break-in and theft.

Law enforcement authorities say they are alarmed by the brazen nature of the burglaries -- some involving dozens of people -- which have targeted high-end stores in the two states in the past week.

Videos from the chaotic burglaries, called "smash-and-grabs", have flooded social media in recent days, showing masked figures breaking into stores, running out with bags of merchandise, and fleeing in cars idling outside.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/holidays-near-smash-and-grab-robbers-hit-us-luxury-retailers-2021-11-23/

But Los Angeles wasn’t just an isolated incident. There’s tons of these popping up all over the country and even all over the world. Just look at what happened at this store in the Bay Area in Walnut Creek, California. It’s exactly part of the same pattern of robberies that happened in Los Angeles and Del Amo – suspects get out of a car, smash, loot, then quickly get away. But now police want to know who is behind these robberies? Can they be stopped again?

An Oakland clothing store was stripped Monday night after nearly 30 people stormed the place, according to a police report.

Surveillance video from inside Prime 356, located on 14th Street in downtown Oakland, shows a group running through the store and snatching hats, shoes, and clothing from shelves.

The suspects are shown on video dressed in black with latex gloves on and most of their faces concealed. They are seen moving swiftly through the store with an alarm blaring in the background. That alarm system is what alerted the store's owner who then called the police.

Officers made it to the scene within 10 minutes, but no arrests were made.

The shop was looted following a string of other retail thefts across the Bay Area from shops in San Francisco's Union Square to Nordstrom in Walnut Creek.
https://www.ktvu.com/news/oakland-clothing-store-raided-by-smash-and-grab-thieves

That said what can be done about these robberies? There have already been a number of measures taken to prevent future robberies. But the Nordstrom in Los Angeles that was the subject of the first robbery in question is already taking drastic steps to prevent future robberies from happening. And those measures include a very dangerous and far more potent spray that’s used on bears, think of it as an upgraded version of commonly used pepper spray.

Los Angeles police said Monday that among the implements used in the holiday season's spree of smash-and-grab crimes is bear spray, a chemical irritant similar to pepper spray but more potent.

The police department said in a statement that someone who was part of a group of suspects at a Nordstrom in the city's San Fernando Valley on Nov. 24 used bear spray on a security guard.

Police released security video of the guard being sprayed.

The incident was part of a spree of smash-and-grab and flash-mob thefts last month that police said resulted in about $330,000 in losses for about 10 retailers.

For comparison, the police department's defunct, two-person Art Theft Detail recovered nearly $4.4 million every year in stolen items since 1993, according to the police department's figures.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bear-spray-used-california-smash-grab-theft-rcna7828

That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.

[font size="8"]Holy Shit: Lakewood Church Found Money
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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! You know this is our next to last sermon of the year. We hope that you have a very happy holiday, whatever holiday that is you happen to be worshipping. So that said, we decided that we were going to have some fun with this week because there’s a lot of dark shit out there. Though one church has a bit of a money laundering problem on its’ hands. Of course you probably already know the church in question. That’s right, our old buddy Joel Osteen and his Lakewood Church that’s in a giant stadium in Houston, Texas. Yes, Joel Osteen – the pastor that has more money than his entire congregation combined, drives multiple Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and owns a mansion that practically has its’ own zip code. Now see, the GOOD LAWRD wants you to be rich, and wealth is a sign of prosperity, is it not? But there’s wealth and then there’s “fuck you” wealth. Joel Osteen is someone who has “fuck you wealth”. With tax exempt status on top of that! But that said, with this little find of $600,000, Mr. Osteen’s got some ‘splainin to do!

A plumber doing repair work last month at televangelist Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas discovered a reported $600k in cash and checks stuffed in envelopes. The funds are believed to be part of a 2014 robbery at the venue.

The plumber revealed his story Thursday to Houston radio station KILT-FM, according to a report from the city’s KPRC-TV. The caller claimed to have found hundreds of envelopes of cash and checks hidden in a wall inside the church, where he was repairing a loose toilet.

Police were called to the scene on Nov. 10. according to a statement from the Houston Police Department.

“Church members stated that during a renovation project, a large amount of money — including cash, checks and money orders — was found inside a wall,” the statement said.
https://deadline.com/2021/12/joel-osteen-plumber-lakewood-church-discovers-600k-behind-toilet-1234884951/

Yeah these are the kind of preachers who do not say for the LAWRD, their god is the almighty dollar, though they really don’t care about prosperity either. They only care about greed. And it’s no surprise that Pastor Osteen is hiding money in the walls of his church. But that said, Osteen’s got some ‘splainin to do because this isn’t just found money – it could also be the evidence of a crime. Or is it money laundering? We wouldn’t put anything past anybody here and we do not want to assume guilt either, though he’s probably guilty.

For more than seven years, no one has known what happened to $600,000 in checks and cash that was stolen from a safe at Pastor Joel Osteen's Houston megachurch, which has one of the largest congregations in the country.

Now, there's a possible plot twist in the case: The money might never have left the church and a plumber could have helped solve the mystery.

Houston police are investigating whether cash and checks discovered by a plumber during repair work that was being done at Lakewood Church is connected to the money that was stolen in 2014.

The revived investigation comes after a plumber on Thursday called "The Morning Bullpen with George, Mo & Erik on 100.3 The Bull" during a segment on the Houston radio station in which people were asked to talk about the most unusual things of value they had ever found.
https://www.wxii12.com/article/texas-plumber-find-megachurch-theft/38427194

Yes and that devil is the one who has all the money in the world! And by the way if you want to know what “fuck you” money looks like in the world of the televangelist, I will say that I have lived like a televangelist (see: Idiots #7-1 ). It’s a pretty sweet life but it does come at a cost, and the cost is that those people will hate you. So that said, we don’t live like televangelists here at the Holy Church Of The Top 10. So really, Joel Osteen has gains, but most of them are of the ill-gotten variety.

The Bible says it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven, but one celebrity pastor does not seem terribly concerned with the warning.

Joel Osteen, one of the wealthiest and most popular preachers in the US, has come under fire after evidence of his luxurious lifestyle was made public on social media.

Mr Osteen, who leads the Lakewood Church in Houston - one of the enormous congregations that are dubbed "megachurches" - was criticised after it was revealed the pastor owns a Ferrari sportscar that costs more than $300,000 dollars.

Users on Twitter lambasted the pastor, arguing his ownership of a Ferarri is a good argument for the government taxing churches.

"Ferrari is trending. That means either someone won a race or Joel Osteen took some of the money Jesus told him to give to the poor and went on another shopping spree," one user said.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/joel-osteen-preacher-luxury-lifestyle-b1888237.html

These people don’t feel anything bad, Reverend. In one breath they say that JAYSUS gave to the poor then in the other breath they buy hundred million dollar estates and have a small army of luxury sports cars that the average person could not afford. That is not how GAWD wants us to live, that is most certainly an atrocity! I do realize I’m contradicting myself, but the real HOLY BIBLE is full of contradictions, is it not? Surely they could spare some cash for found money, couldn’t they?

The plumber who found a large sum of money hidden inside the wall of a Houston megachurch said he should get a reward.

The man, who wants to remain anonymous, found hundreds of envelopes of cash and checks that could be connected to a 2014 theft at the church.

“I didn’t solve their case, but I solved very key important clues as to what could or may have happened there,” said the plumber who found the stash at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church.

Houston police said the discovery could be linked to the 2014 case, in which someone stole $600,000 from the church.

At the time of the theft, Crime Stoppers offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. No arrests have so far been made in the 2014 case.
https://www.wave3.com/2021/12/05/plumber-who-found-money-wall-joel-osteens-houston-church-says-he-deserves-reward/

Yeah so the guy who found money gets pennies on the dollar while the man who has more money than GOD, JAYSUS and his entire congregation combined gets to live that swanky billionaire lifestyle! Aint the system great? Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy: Eric Zemmour
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This week’s This Fucking Guy is Eric Zimmour. I don’t need to remind you that our mission statement here at the Top 10 Conservative Idiots home office in Santa Ana, California, is that conservative idiocy isn’t just a uniquely American problem. No, it’s a global problem with every country breeding its’ own unique brand of far right insanity. Folks, if you want to get a preview of where America’s GOP is headed, just look to France. That’s right, the country that America once ridiculed and changed the name of French Fries to “Freedom Fries” is in the process of breeding its’ own breed of batshit crazy conservatives. And they make our conservative seem like the sane ones in the room for some reason, and that’s saying a lot! So before we get into what makes this man so controversial, who is he? Well he’s a far right French radio pundit, media personality, and social media troll. Which perfectly suits him to be among other social media trolls like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. In fact he’s even going so far as to mimic Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Éric Zemmour does not mind comparisons to Donald Trump.

“We are not the same but we have points in common,” the far-right TV pundit, who Tuesday declared his candidacy for French president, told NBC News at a recent book signing outside Lyon. “He is very American and I am very French, almost to the point of being a caricature.”

In fact, a central plank of his political vision echoes Trump’s “Make America Great Again” message: “I want a French France,” he has said.

Slight and charismatic Zemmour, whose parents were French Algerian Jews, may be very French, but the media frenzy surrounding him and his background as an outspoken star of the small screen is drawing parallels to the former American president’s meteoric rise. A recent video of Zemmour pointing a sniper rifle at journalists in Paris has been watched by millions. His controversial opinions on women and France’s role in World War II have shocked many.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/eric-zemmour-far-right-pundit-runs-president-france-rcna6783

Oh really now this is a personal call! But here’s the thing – we all laughed when Trump announced his candidacy for president and the same with Jair Bolsonaro. So when a white nationalist media personality like Eric Zemmour runs for president, we can’t look the other way. Yes, sir, fuck these people! What that guy in the back said! So that being said, just how dangerous could a man like Eric Zemmour be if he ever got to the highest level of office possible? He could be incredibly fucking dangerous.

After some false signals and feints, the French populist, polemicist, and ultra-nationalist Éric Zemmour announced on Tuesday, in one of the most bizarre videos ever offered by a would-be leader to his nation, that he is running for President of France. In the video, which is ten minutes long, he reads a prepared statement, head down, as music by that echt-Gallic composer Beethoven plays solemnly—the slow movement of the Seventh Symphony, which, as Zemmour perhaps knew, perhaps did not, was broadcast on wartime German radio on Hitler’s birthday. As he continues to read, the video shows street violence and football players taking a knee, among other things, as well as Muslims praying, all apparently exemplifying the grand remplacement he warns against, along with a collage of images of the douce France that he thinks is being “replaced.” This last is represented by a strange mélange of characters, including the radical republican Victor Hugo and his oppressed Cosette, the sixties chanteuse Barbara (the Paris-born daughter of a Ukrainian-Alsatian Jewish family who spent her wartime childhood in hiding from the government of Marshal Pétain that Zemmour now defends), and Charles Aznavour (who was born in Paris to Armenian parents who named him Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian). Images illustrating the grandeur of French heritage include the Louvre pyramid, which was designed, of course, by I. M. Pei, an Asian American. It’s an odd roll call for a hyper-nationalist manifesto, made odder by the reality that Zemmour, for all that he casts himself as the last defender of the legacy of Jeanne d’Arc, the perpetual heroine of the far right, is the offspring of an immigrant Algerian Jewish family welcomed into France in the nineteen-fifties. This shouldn’t be any real surprise: leaders of extreme nationalist fervor always tend to rise from the extremities of a nation—Napoleon the Corsican, Stalin the Georgian, and even Hitler the Austrian.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-ultra-nationalist-eric-zemmour-makes-a-bizarre-bid-for-the-french-presidency

Yeah seriously. We can no longer afford to ignore these people. Look at how dangerous people like Candace Owens are here, and if they run for any kind of office, they’d be incredibly dangerous. And this is a guy who does not mind being compared to a certain American politician either. So the thing is we have to take these people seriously, I know we shouldn’t because their policies suck. But we can’t afford to let the white supremacists claim another country for their own. Just look at what they did to America after 4 years of ruining it.

The retro choreography was heavy-handed, its intent obvious: Éric Zemmour in a dark tie, eyes averted from the camera, reading into an old-fashioned microphone from sheets of paper, just like Charles de Gaulle in his famous speech from London on June 18, 1940, when he called for the liberation of a fallen France.

Mr. Zemmour is not a towering general, and France is not on its knees. But Mr. Zemmour, the far-right polemicist who this week announced his run for next year’s presidential election, understands the power of provocative imagery. Effrontery and scandal have propelled his outsider candidacy.

His campaign-launching video was a nationalistic call for reborn French glory. From Joan of Arc to the singer Johnny Hallyday, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Brigitte Bardot, from Voltaire to Versailles, from Notre Dame to village church bells, it took viewers on a tour of Mr. Zemmour’s imaginary France.

The France that — in the telling of Mr. Zemmour, a Jewish journalist of North African descent whose family arrived in France 70 years ago — existed before immigrants, Muslim veils, vandalism and mealy-mouthed elites led the country to its most recent strange defeat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/04/world/europe/eric-zemmour-france.html

And here’s the thing – if you think I’m kidding about the French alt right being the next evolution of the American alt right, I can assure you that I am not. I can also assure you that the alt right powers that be (namely Vladimir Putin) have learned a thing or two from the Trump and Bolsonaro administrations, and it’s going to get really ugly. Just look at the kind of crowd that Zemmour attracts and these are the people who you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near. And the really scary thing? He’s ahead in the French polls, too!

French authorities opened an investigation on Monday into a fight that erupted at a presidential campaign rally for far-right candidate Eric Zemmour over the weekend.

The rally was held late Sunday and the fight broke out between supporters and anti-racism activists who'd protested the event in Paris.

More than 60 people were arrested and prosecutors intend to charge them criminally if the investigation warrants.

Some of the people who were attacked were injured.

Zemmour's assailant was among those arrested, and faces an assault charge.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/12/06/france-eric-zemmour-rally-fight-investigation/1401638809003/

Yeah that’s pretty much what it is going to be like! But that’s Eric Zemmour, expect to hear more of this guy – he’s France’s Donald Trump. And he’s this week’s:

[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to the segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable – Conspiracy Corner! We are coming back to you live from our underground doomsday shelter deep in the heart of the New Mexico badlands! Undisclosed location, of course! Now just let me adjust my trusty tin foil hat for maximum government interference – they are trying to read our thoughts after all! There… got it! Well folks this week, the anti-vaccine movement is going to strange new levels, which includes everything from fake vaccine passports to this guy in Italy who used a fake arm to attempt to get a vaccine and was caught red handed. So while he’s a hero to the anti-vaxxer movement he’s really just a blithering idiot and will get the criminal prosecution that he so deserves. But the virus denial is out there, folks. And the anti-vaccine movement is getting weird. So here’s what happened with the guy in Italy.

A 50-year-old man tried to pass off a silicone arm as his own at a Covid-19 vaccination clinic in northern Italy, in an attempt to get a vaccine certificate without actually getting inoculated.

The deception was spotted by a nurse, Filippa Bua, as she was about to administer the vaccine in Biella, Piedmont on Thursday. Bua told CNN she noticed something odd about the arm.
"The color of the skin was anomalous, much lighter compared to the hands or the face of the patient," she said.

After inspecting the area, she realized that the arm was fake, made of silicone.

"I first felt sorry for the man, thinking that he had a prosthesis and wondering if I had somehow forced him to give me the wrong arm," Bua said. "But then he admitted he was wearing the fake arm on purpose to avoid getting the vaccine!"
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/03/europe/italy-man-silicone-arm-vaccine-intl-scli/index.html

Yeah that’s not how that works but I wouldn’t trust Dr. Nick to carry out this operation. I’m just saying, that’s all. But the war on vaccines is heating up and heading in strange and bizarre new directions, and I’m not shocked in the least that those who aren’t taking the vaccine are dying in huge numbers. But don’t tell that to people like Antonio Brown, who used a fake vaccine card to get around NFL safety protocols and got busted red handed for it!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians left the door open on Antonio Brown's future this week in his first comments after the receiver was suspended three games for violations of the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 protocols.

With Brown and safety Mike Edwards penalized for misrepresenting their vaccination status, Arians was asked if they'll remain on the team and he said, “We’ll address their future at that time.” The answer appropriately fueled speculation.

One source said no decision has been made on whether Brown will return to the team after his suspension, and another said it is possible the team keeps the players -- with the insinuation being that it's possible they do not.

Arians was particularly frustrated, considering the efforts his team made in getting to 100% vaccination status. He also said he hoped the league would continue to look for players who were not honest about their vaccination status.
https://www.nfl.com/news/bucs-wide-receiver-antonio-brown-s-future-up-in-the-air-following-suspension-for

Then again no one wants to deal with this deadly virus and the battle over fake vaccine passports has just begun. Hey anti-vaxxers, you can run, you can hide, but you’re going to have to face reality and it’s something that is the opposite of what your stupid Facebook memes convey. Just take a look at what happened in Germany when police raided a group that was caught making fake COVID passports. Yeah you do not want to be involved in this.

German police on Wednesday arrested 12 individuals suspected of being involved in the production and sale of falsified COVID-19 vaccine certificates.

Criminal investigators in the state of Hesse said in a press statement that more than 200 officers had taken part in raids on a total of 23 locations throughout the central German state, as well as two cities in the neighboring state of Baden-Württemberg.

Vaccine passports — either shown as a QR code or in an official vaccine paper booklet — are required as evidence of vaccination. Most bars, restaurants, and entertainment facilities require proof of vaccination or recovery from an infection. Some also allow proof of a recent negative test.

Germany has one of the highest rates of vaccine deniers who refuse to be vaccinated against the virus.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-police-arrest-12-in-fake-covid-vaccine-passports-raids/a-59847837

And if you think this is just a first world problem, oh no! That I can assure you it is not – it’s a global problem and the more it spreads the more it becomes a thing. And this is a thing you don’t want coming to your country, but just like the Omicron variant, it might already be here! And here’s the irony – the vaccine is free and it’s reliable and it works! If you don’t take the vaccine it’s going to cost you, and the harder you work to not do the easy thing, the more difficult is going to be for you as we attempt to get out of this nightmare pandemic. Yeah that makes sense.

A prolific Irish drug dealer is selling fake Covid-19 vaccine certificates on the dark web for as much as €350 each.

It is believed the digital certificates are likely functional and are being sold to people who want to travel abroad on holidays but do not want to be vaccinated.

The seller is one of a number of people advertising what are purporting to be Irish vaccine certificates on dark web marketplaces. Also available on other sites are fake negative PCR tests and fake documents stating the holder has recently recovered from Covid-19.

While many such items have been available for months, prices increased after the Government announced in October that vaccine passports will be required for the immediate future.

Gardaí said they are consulting with health officials on how to respond. The Department of Health said it is working with other EU countries to put in a system to revoke or invalidate fraudulent certificates at short notice.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/fake-irish-vaccine-passports-for-sale-on-dark-web-for-350-1.4722949

[font size="8"]I Need A Drink: 2021 GOOP Holiday Gift Guide
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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 of this segment is that we have some drinks and while we drink we talk about literally anything in the news that doesn’t relate to politics or COVID. Because there’s currently a lot of dark shit in the world, and all we want to do is have some fun. This week it’s 2021 and after the nightmare year that was 2020, the holidays are back in full swing. And since it’s that time of year again, you know who else is back at it? Our friends in New York are going to really hate the coming weekend because you know what’s back? Santa Con! That’s right the annual gathering of the Santas and these Santas really don’t care if you’re naughty or nice. They’re just here to drink the egg nog loaded with rum. So tell me bartender, what goes well with a story about drunk Santas? A large glass of egg nog loaded with rum? Excuse me a minute… yeah I will take that! Oh come on, as Homer Simpson says, we only get 30 sweet days of noggy goodness then the government takes it away! Well, while I’m waiting for my extra large glass of the nog, here’s more!

Dozens of “Santas” are expected to take to the streets of Newport on Saturday, December 4 to take part in the annual event known as SantaCon.

SantaCon is a free-to-attend non-commercial, non-political, nonsensical Santa Claus convention that happens once a year for charity. It’s a mass gathering where people dress in Santa Claus costumes or as other Christmas / Holiday characters and parade throughout Newport and several cities around the world.

According to a Facebook Event, SantaCon Newport will run from 12 pm to 7 pm and will make stops at Celtica at 12 pm, Skiff at 1 pm, a stop for a group photo at 2:30 pm, a stop at Fastnet at 3 pm, and One Pelham East at 4:30 pm. The event will conclude with live music with Rusty until 6:30 pm at One Pelham East.

Prizes are awarded to the best dressed Santa and winner of the Santa dance-off. Participants are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to be donated to Toys For Tots.
https://whatsupnewp.com/2021/12/santacon-returns-to-newport-on-saturday/

Oh yeah sure it’s non political until the Santas get a few shots of peppermint schnapps in, then it’s anything goes! But that said, Newport is not the only area where Santas will be descending upon the area pubs to drink heavily. Well, in case you’re wondering why New Yorkers hate SantaCon so much, well, just take a look at some of the incidents from past SantaCons. There’s plenty of very naughty activities going on, so naughty that the police and the emergency room are involved. Though this year that’s probably the last place you want to end up.

Bad SantaCon, a different twist on the annual SantaCon event, is coming to Highland.

If you aren't familiar with SantaCon, it's a popular pub crawl that takes place annually, all over the world where people dress up as Santa Clause or other Christmas characters. SantaCon has gotten a lot of negative feedback in recent years, especially in New York City where the event has led to drunken brawling, public urination, and disorder.

In 2013: A wild video was released of a SantaCon brawl in NYC.

In 2018: Police say a Hudson Valley man punched a woman at NYC SantaCon and another Hudson Valley Man assaulted an officer at the Hoboken SantaCon

In 2019: A knife wielding man brawled with Santas on a train.

Despite the problems, SantaCon will be returning to NYC this year with a vengeance after Covid hiatus.

There was actually a Poughkeepsie SantaCon that existed for a short time but while researching the event, it doesn't appear that there has been one in at least five years.

Read More: Bad SantaCon Event Coming to Hudson Valley Area | https://wibx950.com/bad-santacon-coming-to-hudson-valley/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Yeah chug, Santa, chug! But here’s the thing – are the people here really just “dorks for Christmas” or are they here to get loaded? Just like we’re doing… ah sweet egg nog! But come on, are Santa and Mrs. Santa really just kissing underneath the mistletoe or are they just making out? Oh oh… Santa just got cold clocked! This isn’t really much a SantaCon as it is a Santa… Con. Emphasis on the word “con” because there’s plenty of holly jolly, but some more emphasis on being naughty than being nice! I am using this metaphor way too much.

Megan Lewman and Bethany Reycraft consider themselves big nerds about Christmas. Both have December birthdays with Lewman being a Christmas baby and Reycraft’s middle name is a variation of Noel.

And for the past two years, Lewman and Reycraft have been the coordinators for SantaCon, an annual Christmas-themed bar-crawl event through downtown Lakeland that will take place Dec. 11 this year.

“It’s a labor of love. We’re just dorks about Christmas. It’s festive and it’s just something we love,” Lewman added.

Lewman attended her first SantaCon in 2016, when it was organized by Robert Wagner, after seeing a flyer on Facebook. After the first year, she started helping plan the pub crawl event.
https://www.theledger.com/story/entertainment/holiday/christmas/2021/12/02/lakeland-santacon-has-grown-recent-years-event-format-has-changed/8792159002/

I think Santa’s had just a bit too much there! That said, while SantaCon puts the emphasis on booze and bad behavior, if you’re a Santa and a teetotaler, then where do you go for a solution to your holly jolly party atmosphere? Then you should check out the neighboring ElfCon, which is the booze free, family friendly solution to the holiday mayhem. At ElfCon, instead of getting a booze high, you’ll be getting a chocolate infused sugar and caffeine high, so instead of ending up like Billy Bob Thornton in “Bad Santa”, you’ll end up more like Will Ferrell’s Buddy The Elf in “Elf”.

Move over, Santa! The elves are taking over New York City.

Hundreds of New Yorkers in elf garb will be congregating at some of NYC's best hot chocolate purveyors for ElfCon, a brand-new, family-friendly hot cocoa crawl in the city.

ElfCon is an adventure without a particular route. Instead, elves are supposed stop at several Manhattan cocoa locations on a provided map and get their special Elf Passports stamped for a special prize at the end. And yes, participants are asked to wear elf garb. (Think: jingle bells, pointy shoes, striped stockings...)

While imbibing on that sweet, sweet hot chocolate and getting a major sugar high, elf crawlers will also be raising money for two charities—The Trevor Project, an organization that helps protect LGBTQ youth, and Making Headway, a foundation dedicated to helping families with children with brain tumors.

The jolly jaunt around the city is one high schooler's answer to SantaCon, the infamous beer crawl that is either the best day of the year or the worst depending on who you are. (Yes, that's also still on this year.)
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/this-hot-chocolate-crawl-is-a-local-high-schoolers-answer-to-santacon-120221

[font size="8"]Red State Diaries
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Welcome back to our ongoing survey of what the post 2020 MAGA insurrectionists are up to in Red State Diaries! Because we can no longer afford to ignore these people and all the damage that they are causing, and let’s face it, MAGA is no longer a political ideology but a full blown cult! Last week, we talked about how Q Anon fans were waiting in Dallas for JFK Jr and announce that he was arresting most of Trump’s political opponents. This week, we have a beef! You know me, I love a good beef. And this beef is between the Squad (Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, Jones, Talib) and what I’m going to start referring to as the Bonehead Squad (Boebert, Greene, Gaetz, Jones, Cawthorn). But this week we’re going to analyze the beef between these two groups – and really Marjorie, we don’t hate you because you’re a conservative Christian white woman. We hate you because you’re a raging racist asshole who belongs in the dumpster instead of in Congress. Thank you audience! But that said here’s what is happening with this delightful bunch. /sarcasm

Six months after a shooting war in Gaza, Congress is more involved in controversies over Islamophobia and anti-Semitism than it is in resuscitating a two-state solution in the Middle East.

Support for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel has notably declined on Capitol Hill as poisonous rhetoric replaces policy debates about long-term security in a region where conflict has flared for more than a generation. For many lawmakers — and more prominently in the GOP as of late — the weaponization of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism has become the rule, not the exception.

This past week alone, two videos emerged of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) suggesting that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a Somali-born Muslim who's outspoken in favor of Palestinian rights, is a terrorist; and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called Omar a jihadist. The Democratic Party has its own internal fractures over the U.S.-Israel relationship: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) was criticized by a far-left activist group last week for simply meeting with Israeli leaders, even as he has been critical of the country’s right-wing-led coalition government.

Lawmakers and two-state advocates alike are wincing at those episodes, warning about a serious undermining of what used to be an overwhelmingly bipartisan goal to help end the decadeslong Middle East conflict — not to mention the intimidation of those on both sides of the aisle seeking real solutions.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/06/islamophobia-anti-semitism-controversies-congress-523724

Yeah that’s what happens when you elect social media trolls to Congress! You get them trolling with racist and hateful shit in real life. Thanks to the Alex Joneses and Steve Bannons of the world, Congress is devolving into a cesspool of racist and hateful shit. But what happens when the racist beef goes way too far? Well Ilhan Omar is putting the pressure on Nancy Pelosi to do something. The sad thing is any other job these idiots would have been fired on the first day. So why can’t we get rid of Boebert and Greene?

The House only has four days left in session this year. And Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar said Sunday she expects Speaker Nancy Pelosi to use at least some of that time to sanction Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert for suggesting that she was a terrorist.
"I have had a conversation with the speaker, and I'm very confident that she will take decisive action next week," Omar told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday. She also noted that "it's important for us to say, this kind of language, this kind of hate cannot be condoned by the House of Representatives. And we should punish and sanction Boebert by stripping her of her committees, by rebuking her language, by doing everything that we can to send a clear and decisive message to the American public that, if the Republicans are not going to be adults and condone -- condemn this, that we are going to do that."
Which, well big deal!

What to do about Boebert has been percolating in Congress since just after Thanksgiving when remarks by the controversial Colorado Republican came to light.

"I was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers and he and I were leaving the Capitol, we're going back to my office and we get in the elevator and I see a Capitol Police officer running hurriedly to the elevator. I see fret all over his face," Boebert recounted. "And he's reaching. The door is shutting. I can't open it. What's happening? I look to my left and there she is, Ilhan Omar, and I said, 'Well she doesn't have a backpack, we should be fine.'"
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/06/politics/ilhan-omar-lauren-boebert/index.html

Yeah probably! And what happens when even the mediators can’t control the beast that has been unleashed? Well the racist piece of garbage known as Marjorie Greene (I refuse to use all 3 of her names) can’t stop fighting with people. And as I have said if I treated my coworkers like this I would have been out on my ass a long time ago. But the sad thing is the more you tell Marjorie no or the more you say that you hate her, that only makes them stronger. You can’t get rid of social media trolls no matter how much you try.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tried — without success — Tuesday night to end an ugly battle between two of his GOP freshmen.

The California Republican implored Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), in separate private meetings, to stop attacking one another after their back-and-forth online spat dragged on for hours earlier Tuesday.

After speaking with the GOP leader, Greene said she told McCarthy that she would quit attacking Mace. But as she was leaving the meeting, Greene suggested to CNN that she was interested in seeing Mace get a Republican primary challenger, something former President Donald Trump has called for.

Mace, after meeting with McCarthy, also didn’t back down after being asked about Greene’s primary challenger comments.

“All I can say about Marjorie Taylor Greene is bless her fucking heart,” Mace told reporters.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/30/mace-greene-feud-mccarthy-523587 [/div

Damn is right! That is a low blow if there ever was one! That said, we’ll be keeping an eye on these two in case Marjorie goes insane and climbs to the top of the watchtower. Which, let’s face it, will be the inevitable end of her career as a politician. I mean come on, you can only hate the media so much before they start turning on you, which I am pretty sure has happened. But don’t complain about them, they will troll on right wing news programs about how they’re being silenced and censored. But yeah then at least start calling out their bullshit!

Under rising pressure from the left, House Democratic leaders are eyeing several options to respond to Rep. Lauren Boebert's Islamophobic comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar — all of which fall short of progressives' demands.

Referring Boebert to the House Ethics Committee or calling up a measure tackling Islamophobia are among the actions being discussed by Democratic leaders to deal with the Colorado conservative, according to three people familiar with the matter. That might not be enough to satisfy progressives, who want their leadership to act and on Wednesday introduced legislation to boot Boebert from her committees.

"If leadership does not act accordingly, we are condoning that behavior. Not just here in Congress, but we are sending the message across the country, around the world, that anti-Muslim hate is OK," Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday.

Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) added that “we cannot be complicit as members of this body trample on the fundamental right of religious freedom and put people’s lives in danger."
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/08/anti-islamaphobia-bill-boebert-omar-523953

[font size="4"]Next week:[/font]

For our last Red State Diaries of 2021, what’s up with Congressional representatives sending out themselves with pictures of guns on their holiday greeting cards? We will find out what’s fueling this weird and dangerous new trend!

[font size="4"]And Now This: [/font]
[font size="4"]Angels & Airwaves [/font]

My next guest of course you know him best as Tom DeLonge and his band Angels & Airwaves! Their latest album is called “Lifebloods”. Playing their song “Timebomb” give it up for Angels & Airwaves!

Thank you New York City! We had a great time on our East Coast trek! We’re back home next week for our final Top 10 of the year! See you next week!

Credits

Host: Initech
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December 2, 2021

The Top 10 Conservative Idiots 5th Anniversary Special

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-15: Top 10 Conservative Idiots 5th Anniversary Special Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Yo what’s up Boston? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? Great! Man did I pick the right city to host our 5 year special didn’t I? So because this is a very special edition of the Top 10, we’re going to throw out most of our usual nonsense and commentary on current events and just go through 5 years of the Top 10. And look, before we go any further, look. We know that technically it’s the 6th anniversary of the Top 10 and we put out 9 editions from 12/5/15 – 12/27/15 which is an insane amount of Top 10s to produce in such a short length of time. That was also when we didn’t know what we were doing, and we lacked a staff and a budget to produce segments (though that budget still remains pretty low). But that said, the true weekly form of the Top 10 didn’t take place until January 2016. And also last year, 2020 didn’t technically count since we were all still hulled at home because of COVID and couldn’t give the Top 10 the proper celebration that we felt it deserved. So there, please don’t bother pointing that out. In the first two slots we’re going to have a one on one interview with… me! That’s right, as the host of the Top 10, I will take you through how it came to be, some of our favorite segments, how those came to be, and what the future of our fine program is going to be! Then we’re also going to talk my thoughts on the current state of politics, and then a 2 part montage of some of my favorite bits and jokes through our over 250+ editions of the Top 10. So just so you know – we have 3 editions left in this crazy year that is 2021. We have our 5th anniversary special today, then we have our last regular edition next week – 12/9, and then our year-ending Year In Review on 12/16! And for our celebration this week, we’ve painstakingly combed through all 252 editions of the Top 10 to bring you the best, funniest one liners, memes, JPGs, clips and jokes throughout the years, the most insane moments of the Trump administration, and some of our favorite bits from the beginning of the Top 10! Plus we also have to do the rest of our idiocy as well. OK enough of the intro, let’s get to it, shall we? But first John Oliver is back and he delves into the topic of union busting:

So I knew that when we started this season, I had big plans for the Top 10 5th Anniversary Special and we’re going to party! So how do we celebrate 5 years? We were kicking around ideas at the Top 10 Home Office, but I decided that why don’t we get to know each other better? So with that I will be interviewed in the first two slots! The first slot will talk about how the Top 10 came to be and the origins of our favorite segments (1)! But that’s not all! In the second slot, is also me! You’ll get my thoughts (2) on the current state of American and world affairs and where I think American politics is going, because it’s getting very scary out there. And the fact that social media trolls like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Greene are the future of the GOP, well it’s going to get way worse before it gets better. In the number 3 slot this week, as I said in the monologue, we have painstakingly combed through the best bits and entries from all 5 seasons. And in the number 3 slot we’ll be bringing you the best bits, clips, memes and jokes from seasons 1 – 5 (3). And likewise in the 4th slot the best bits and clips from seasons 6 – 11 (4). That’s right even when we were holed up at home during the nightmare year that was 2020, we still had some great moments! Getting back to our usual nonsense, in the 5th slot this week, I have to talk about the Kyle Rittenhouse (5) verdict, and whew, boy do I have some thoughts on this one, and my thought is really “fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!”. And that’s putting it lightly, by the way! In the number 6 slot this week is of course our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” and this week, is Kanye starting a cult? Ye is taking his Sunday Service to strange new levels and recruiting some very questionable choices of celebrities with him to support his cause. Yeah it’s getting weird! In the number 7 slot this week we have a new “Beating A Dead Horse” (7). Do we really need Kid Rock barfing his brain on woke culture? It’s just another byproduct of how Fox News is scrambling people’s brains. And in the number 8 slot this week we have a new Conspiracy Corner – was the January 6th riot a false flag? We delve into Tucker Carlson’s insane new Fox News special detailing the subject! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week, we have an all new People Are Dumb (9) because of course they are! Finally this week in Red State Diaries (10), remember in the last edition how we talked about that crazy Q Anon cult that believes that JFK was a deep state operative? Well they’re back and it’s getting weirder! . And to top everything off we’ve got some live music for you from one of my favorite bands, Mastodon! Plus we’re going to end with our very first entry that we ever did, preserved for the last 5 years in its’ entirety for you guys! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]My Interview: Part 1

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Well here we are. 5 years of the Top 10 Conservative Idiots. And how do we celebrate such a monumental achievement? We’ve been going to sold out clubs around the country now for three of the 5 years that this thing has existed. We’ve even catered to international audiences with our big British edition of the Top 10 (see: Idiots #5-23 ). We’ve been there and done that. So I figured that what better way to celebrate the 5th anniversary edition than to get to know me, your merry host of the show, better. So this interview will talk about how the Top 10 came to be, the creation of some of your favorite segments, and what the future of this program is going to be. And trust us, we’re going to do this thing until it’s no longer profitable, or we perish at the hands of a MAGA-led genocide. Which if Trump gets reelected in 2024, don’t think that couldn’t happen! You don’t know! You don’t know! And also to celebrate, we painstakingly combed through all 250+ editions to find the best moments from them. And if we didn’t get to them, don’t worry, there’s plenty more where that came from! Anyway enough of my rambling! Let’s get to the interview, shall we?

Q. How did the current iteration of the Top 10 Conservative Idiots come about?

A. Well way back in 2015, I was growing increasingly alarmed at the state of toxic politics in the world. People were getting meaner and nastier and ruder to each other. But I had always suspected that it was the rise of social media that was causing it. So I wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening . I saw what was going on in countries like Brazil and Turkey and thought that there’s no way this couldn’t happen in the United States. Sure enough, it did. And we elected the most foul, vile, awful human being to become the leader of the free world that we could possibly find. While I was optimistic at the close of season 1, I should have seen this coming.

Q. What was the event that made you see it coming? A personal witness to toxic politics?

A. Yes. Shortly after we aired the first edition, I attended an event on New Year’s Eve, 2015 – it was Motley Crue at Staples Center.

Q. That was their farewell show, the one chronicled in “The Dirt”.

A. Yes.

Q. So what happened there?

A. I was dining at the Yardhouse at LA Live before the show. And there were people staying in downtown LA before heading out to the Rose Bowl. Which was the Stanford and Iowa game, which we talked about in Idiots #1-9. So there were some rather unruly Iowa fans there who were on their 4th or 5th Moscow Mules who were saying some extremely horrible things about democrats and Hillary Clinton so loud the entire restaurant could hear them. And that’s what made me realize that joking about the state of current affairs was the key to getting through this difficult time in America. I should have also realized the irony of the Iowa Trump fans consuming drinks named after the Russian capital. Of course I didn’t know what was coming at the time.

Q. What shows are the basis for the humor in the Top 10?

A. Several. Many of our segments come from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, though I base a lot of my style after Steven Colbert, Lewis Black, Trevor Noah, the now defunct Jim Jefferies Show, and of course the late, great George Carlin.

Q. How do you feel when you see anti-vaccine crusaders use George Carlin memes?

A. Well honestly it makes me want to leap through the screen and slap them. Though I do usually counter with his “Fear Of Germs” bit from his album “You Are All Diseased”.

Q. Let’s talk about the music featured on the show. How did that get started?

A. I’ve always felt that music and politics go hand in hand. And it wasn’t until Idiots #1-43 that I regularly started featuring live music as a “palate cleanser” after listening to me comment on all the particularly dark shit in the world.

Q. Any favorite albums or artists from the show?

A. All time? So many. There’s AFI and Dreamcar, there’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Gogol Bordello, Judas Priest, Weezer, the Dropkick Murphys, Trey Anastasio Band, Bastille, Alice In Chains, Raconteurs, Beck, the Black Keys, The 1975, Sturgill Simpson, there’s one of my personal favorite bands of all time, 311, I could name so many.

Q. Any you disliked?

A. Billy Corgan is a weird, awkward and insane person. And after hearing about his recent sexual assault allegations, Marilyn Manson can go fuck himself. Which is a shame because I loved his album “The Pale Emperor”. But yeah we support the victims here, not the abusers.

Q. Any recent favorites?

A. There were a lot of great albums that came out this year. Too much in fact. We had long time favorites like Garbage, Chevelle, The Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Iron Maiden, The Melvins, Dream Theater, the Dropkick Murphys, Mastodon, My Morning Jacket, Angels & Airwaves, and so on. Then you had younger bands like Twenty One Pilots, Greta Van Fleet, Royal Blood, The War On Drugs, all drop albums and they were all great. A recent favorite album of mine is “The Future Bites” from Steven Wilson, who’s the leader of one of my favorite bands of all time, Porcupine Tree (which, new Porcupine Tree album next June! Wooo!!!). There’s been lots of favorite albums of mine from 2021. But this album “The Future Bites” was a real standout of this year. And in this album, Mr. Wilson perfectly encapsulates how our always connected lifestyle is scrambling our brains, which was made even worse with the 2020 COVID pandemic. Also for people who say my taste in music isn’t diverse enough, I loved Tyler The Creator’s new album “Call Me If You Get Lost” and Halsey’s album that she did with Nine Inch Nails “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” and probably my favorite female fronted band, Garbage, with their recent release “No Gods No Masters” which was so good. Those were some great albums this year!

Q. How did you handle that?

A. Not well honestly. It was hard having to do a live show from home with limited resources, but the worst of that is behind us. But it’s definitely better now that we can begin doing the show like we used to before this nightmare happened.

Q. And how do you take it when people say that musicians shouldn’t discuss politics in their songs or live shows?

A. Those people are idiots! Political music has existed since… well since ancient Egypt days. Protest songs in rock music has existed as long as rock music has been a thing. So the people who say that musicians should “stay in their lane” should really shut up. This is their lane!

Q. What about Kid Rock’s controversial new song? Or MAGA rappers like Bryson Gray?

A. MAGA rap is ridiculously awful. And Kid Rock? I’m not going to say he shouldn’t be political because it is his right to say what he wants to say under the Constitution of these great United States of ours. I am not going to say that anyone shouldn’t be allowed to say what they want to say, I’m not touching that argument with a 10 foot pole.

Q. You’ve catered the Top 10 to international audiences. Any future plans?

A. The British edition was awesome and having it in Leicester Square was a great choice of venue. Assuming international travel is allowed again next year we have plans to go back to London, and before COVID we were planning a Canadian edition and a German and Italian edition. So I would love to see those come about. In fact we’re thinking about reviving the World Tour for the latter half of 2022 after Stupidest State. It’s been over 4 years since we last did the tour and we think it would be fun to revisit and see what’s happened since the last time we were there.

Q. What’s your favorite segment to do on this show?

A. Honestly my personal favorite is “People Are Dumb” because there’s so many stupid people out there. Let’s face it, after over an hour of listening to me talk about all the dark and disturbing shit in the world, you really just want to hear about a guy who goes crazy and ransacks a McDonalds because they ran out of chicken nuggets.

Q. What’s your favorite segment to do on this show?

A. There’s other segments I enjoy doing, like Beating A Dead Horse, because I love talking about pop culture and the way that it’s just become politicized mainly thanks to Fox News. Conspiracy Corner, which I started doing last year, has become a favorite because I love conspiracy theories and talking about the crazy people who enable them. But now that Trump is out of the White House, I’m thankful that we don’t have to put up with his crap anymore. It’s certainly made my job easier, ha ha.

Q. How do you manage that?

A. Seriously, it’s been so much easier since he hasn’t been president. And Twitter and Facebook are so much better without the feces he flings on a daily basis. I personally love waking up in the morning and not having to worry about what hate-filled mind vomit that our president flings on Twitter like a monkey flinging feces.

Q. How did Holy Shit get started?

A. Since I began the Top 10, I have always wanted a space where I talk about all of the absolutely batshit crazy things that the Christian right says on a daily basis, and I feel like nobody ever calls them out on it, no matter how off the wall insane they sound. So the idea that I originally came up with for this feature was called “Fundies Say The Darndest Things”. But then that whole thing with Bill Cosby happened, and since I decided that I didn’t want to be associated with Bill Cosby, I decided to go back to the drawing board. And when I came up with the idea for “Holy Shit”, I just could not stop laughing. I mean come on, that’s a double pun right there! Then Holy Shit 2.0 came about in early 2018 and that was it. And despite the hiccups that we’ve had the last couple of weeks, I could not be more pleased with the launch of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons!

Q. What’s your favorite thing to talk about on Holy Shit?

A. Like I said, I feel like nobody calls the Christian right out on the ridiculous things that they say, which only enables them and makes them crazier and crazier. But I just love talking about crazy Christian conspiracy theories and making fun of Liberty University, which was one of the first Holy Shit segments.

Q. What’s your favorite “People Are Dumb” story?

A. Without question, my favorite “People Are Dumb” story has to be that of Mike Hughes, the Flat Earth Society Member known as Mad Mike. We chronicled Mad Mike’s journey in multiple Top 10s because I was totally fascinated with a guy who wanted to build his own rocket and I knew it would end with a fiery blaze of glory. Which it did. We originally documented his rise to fame in Idiots #3-24 and then drank to his memory in “I Need A Drink” in Idiots #8-9, right before society went to hell.

[font size="8"]My Interview Part 2

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My interview part 2. So for this part of the interview we delve into the nightmare that was the years from 2015 – 2021. And it has been a nightmare hasn’t it? Of course like everybody else I celebrated the fact that we no longer have to call Donald Trump the president of the United States. Instead we can call him by his current title – former professional Twitter troll Donald Trump. And let’s face it, Twitter and Facebook have been much better without his bile and garbage haven’t they? Well in this part of the interview I take a look at the past, present and future of politics. I don’t want to be one of those alarmists who is just going to make this entire interview a downer. But before we get into this thing I do want to say that following the GOP as closely as I have the last 6 years, things are inevitably going to get much worse. Maybe not as worse as things are being projected. Could we see a civil war in this lifetime, even several years from now? It’s entirely possible. But then again no one predicted we’d be in a raging pandemic like we are now. OK enough of my rambling. Let’s do this!

Q. What would you say the most ridiculous moment of the entire Trump administration was?

A. Oh god, where to begin? While I could say the entire month of November, 2020 was completely ridiculous – watching from home, it was literally like watching an entire series of some weird foreign children’s show that aired in Scandinavia or something. The whole thing felt cartoonish. You couldn’t make this up if you had all the comedy writers in the world. That’s where we had Trump sitting at the tiny desk (see: Idiots #9-18 ) and the unbelievably ridiculous Four Seasons Total Landscaping fiasco (see: Idiots #9-16 ), I still can’t believe that was a thing that happened. But one of my favorite things was seeing him staring at the sun, which we unfortunately didn’t get to cover because we were off that week. So that said, if I had to pinpoint the single most ridiculous moment in the entire administration, it would be that time he invited the Clemson Football Team to the White House and served them a buffet of Big Macs and Domino’s Pizza, which we covered in Idiots #6-2. Because, honestly, crap on a silver platter is the best way I can accurately describe that administration.

Q. That’s how you would describe this administration.

A. Well, yes and no.

Q. Why is that?

A. Honestly I look at the Donald Trump MAGA administration like the screaming child who’s begging for a toy at Target. And it’s like no matter how many times you tell them “no” they just act like you didn’t say it. In fact telling them “no” only makes them stronger. And that’s what happens when you live so detached from reality that it’s impossible to interact with the world around you. When you shun real news from actual journalists in favor of the Alex Jones types and the Glenn Becks of the world, you don’t know how to deal when real world news affects you directly

Q. How would you describe the year 2020 – comedy, tragedy, or horror show?

A. Honestly? All of the above. Plus the added bonus of us getting to celebrate at the end because Joe Biden won. And I say that 2020 was part comedy because in the early days of the pandemic, literally the only entertainment we had was Trump’s nightly shit show where he was recommending garbage cures hawked by quacks (see: Idiots #9-7 ) and suggesting that we drink bleach (see: Idiots #8-15 ). It’s truly insane how horrible that was handled and I don’t even think historians 100 years from now will be able to truly grasp this level of pure insanity. But seeing the rising death toll makes it a tragedy. Made even worse that the anti-vaccination crowd is voluntarily taking themselves out at an incredible rate.

Q. That’s assuming that humanity is still around 100 years from now.

A. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha right! Though I think humanity’s demise won’t be nuclear missiles, it will be global warming. And thanks to Fox News, the deniers will be led off a cliff by Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson.

Q. Was there any event that you could have predicted would be a disaster?

A. Actually we did predict one major incident would be a total disaster and we called it in Idiots #3-9, and that was the Unite The Right rally. We saw the announcements and figured that it would be a colossal shit show, and sure enough we were right! Of course nobody could have predicted that this rally would have got someone killed in the process.

Q. You have repeatedly said that there are no sane republicans anymore. Would you care to elaborate on that?

A. Just look at any of their events – past and present. Look at CPAC, the Values Voters Summit, any of their events. There’s even a full blown Q Anon convention in Dallas. That family has just taken over the GOP. Literally everything is someone involved with or is a member of the Trump family. The GOP has become the MAGA party. They’re the party of the Sean Hannitys, Tucker Carlsons, and Alex Joneses of the world. And their conspiracy theories continue to get nuttier. I would have thought Pizzagate would have been the apex of the Infowars conspiracy theory complex, but then Pizzagate morphed into Q Anon, and Q Anon is now morphing into a group of whackjobs that think that JFK survived his assassination and is working undercover to out all the deep state operatives. Eventually we’ll see a split between the GOP and the MAGA party. Like I said, you can’t make this stuff up.

Q. Why was there such a large gap between the end of season 9 and the start of season 10?

A. When we found out that Joe Biden was going to be our 46th president, we originally began formulating plans to give the Trump administration the proper “fuck you” that they very much deserved from us. Then January 6th happened. And we just decided as a staff – “fuck it”. They did not deserve the proper send off that we had planned to give them, so that Top 10 got completely shelved and it may never see the light of day. That’s when we postponed the start of the Top 10 until after the inauguration.

Q. What would you say the most satisfying thing about having Joe Biden as president is?

A. Well, several things. One is that we have a normal president who does normal things and is seen as a regular guy. Two, we don’t have to hear what mind vomit he comes up with on Twitter on a daily basis, because he, oh yeah does his job! We also have a president who glorifies actual heroes, and not serial killers, underwear models, has-been musicians, and murderous dictators because they suck up to him. And speaking of vomit, we don’t have to hear about his sex life every day. I’m thankful we have a president who keeps his private life private. I don’t ever want to hear about another president’s sex life ever again after the Trump administration. Remember when Stormy Daniels compared Trump’s male organs to a character on Super Mario Bros (see: Idiots #5-12 ) ? Way too much information if you ask me!

Q. Where do you think conspiracy theories got the most nutty?

A. Oh there are many examples I can think of two instances – one was when Alex Jones accused Lady Gaga of something called “spirit cooking” (see: Idiots #2-12 ) and the other was when Q Anon nuts were accusing Wayfair of child trafficking through selling $10,000 filing cabinets (see: Idiots #9-6 ). But my favorite thing about conspiracy theories is how they are quick to point out how EVERYTHING is a false flag (see: Idiots #5-18 ) and it’s not just one incident here or there, it’s EVERY incident. Everything is a false flag to these morons. Even now, which we’ll get to in a minute, is how they’re trying to pin up January 6th as a false flag, because they literally have nothing else to go on.

Q. There’s no way conspiracy theories could get worse from there is there?

A. Oh there absolutely is. If Trump got elected in 2024, who knows what kind of shit they could get away with? I have a feeling it would turn out like when Bane took over Gotham at the end of The Dark Knight Rises – he would pardon all the criminals that were put away as a result of January 6th and things would just turn to shit.

Q. And we have to do everything in our power to stop that from happening.

A. Well I’ve made the comparison of what’s happening now in American politics to the plot of Thor: Ragnarok. And it sounds ridiculous but let’s think about this here. The point of Ragnarok was to stop Surtur from destroying Asguard. And if Surtur’s skull was to be put into the eternal flame, he would rise up even more powerful than before and destroy the planet. So with that analogy, Trump is Surtur, and we silenced him in the 2020 election. His skull is next to the eternal flame. If he got elected, he would rise up as a giant flaming monster and end America.

Q. Would you say America’s Ragnarok is inevitable?

A. Yeah probably. At least unlike Asguard, we can stop it from happening here. It just takes a willing populace.

Q. Would you say you’re worried about the future?

A. Well I know that people either really love or really hate Bill Maher, but he was absolutely right on the money when he said that people who live 100% in the virtual world have trouble interacting with the real one. We saw that in Idiots #7-7 when this group on 4Chan was harassing and saying shit about a recently deceased influencer and making death threats against everyone involved in the story. It was pretty horrifying and a preview of where we could be headed. Let’s hope it doesn’t.

[font size="8"]Best Of The Top 10: Seasons 1 – 5

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This entry is pretty self-explanatory! We’re going to compile some of the best jokes, clips, JPEGS, memes, GIFs, and quirks from seasons 1 – 5! Hit it!

Idiots #4-18
Hey everyone guess what? We’re all gonna get raptured! Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Woooooooooooooo! Woooo! Woo. Ok maybe it’s not at all as exciting as it’s made out to be since a whole lot of us are probably gonna die in a nuclear holocaust, and relatively soon. At least the doomsday preppers can say “I told you so!”. Followed by a very childish “neener neener!”. So for the sake of this piece, let’s call it “Left Behind: The Real Life Interactive Version”. Or to use something that might be more popular with the kids these days: “Left Behind: Infinity War”. Yes I’m crossing two franchises here – one has a really bizarre doomsday scenario in which half of the population gets snapped up by a crazy wannnabe god bent on controlling the universe, and the other one has Iron Man.
*audience laughs and applauds

Idiots #3-7
You know, Donnie, if you’re under investigation for Russian collusion, you don’t hang out with Putin in secret meetings, do you? You don’t tell the guy trying to lose 100 pounds “go ahead, eat that giant plate of chili cheese fries with a side of mac and cheese”, do you? I mean go ahead, eat the whole thing, it’s right there in front of you!

*audience applauds wildly*

Idiots #2-15:
I can’t wait until the day comes where we get to say that to Trump. “Donald J. Trump, you are terminated! Now get to the choppa!”. Remember that show Celebrity Apprentice? Because if Trump were still hosting it, we’d get a glimpse of what American state run television would look like, it would be the Celebrity Apprentice. You know, the show where Z-grade celebrities like Meatloaf and Gary Busey threatened to murder each other over art supplies?

*audience applauds wildly*

Edition #2-20:
So if you're keeping score at home – in the last 8 months, conservatives have staged boycotts against Hamilton, because they were “mean” to Mike Pence. They started an inexplicably insane campaign to get Starbucks to write “Trump” on their cups as a means of protest (?). They staged a boycott of Hawaii because judges have blocked Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional travel ban. They’ve also staged boycotts against Oreos, Star Wars, Nordstrom, Netflix, the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, Budweiser and Pepsi. These are all real. I am not making any of these up! Hell, Ranker even has a list of the 15 things Trump supporters have boycotted.
*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #3-16:

Yeah this thing is turning into as much of a distraction as the squirrels in Up!. I mean really, are we going to go through this shit every single week now? Are we going to make reporters wear the cone of shame so they stop paying attention to this issue? I mean ESPN now has an Anthem Watch! Week4!

*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #2-22:
So if you're keeping score at home – in the last 8 months, conservatives have staged boycotts against Hamilton, because they were “mean” to Mike Pence. They started an inexplicably insane campaign to get Starbucks to write “Trump” on their cups as a means of protest (?). They staged a boycott of Hawaii because judges have blocked Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional travel ban. They’ve also staged boycotts against Oreos, Star Wars, Nordstrom, Netflix, the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, Budweiser and Pepsi. These are all real. I am not making any of these up! Hell, Ranker even has a list of the 15 things Trump supporters have boycotted. And now they’re staging a boycott against Colbert and CBS. We liberals have just one boycott going – and that’s against Trump himself.

*audience applauds wildly*

Idiots #3-5:

It’s like Peter Griffin is in charge!

*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #3-22:
Oh, I like that one! Seriously the GOP can’t stand that one of their own is now a member of the White Male Groper’s Club! It must be driving them completely insane! So is there anyone left defending Mr. Moore?

Some conservatives are destroying their Keurig coffee machines in protest of the company pulling ads from Sean Hannity's show over his coverage of the sexual misconduct allegations levied at Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

Keurig, Realtor.com, 23 and Me, Eloquii and Nature's Bounty all pulled their ads from the television show, in response to the Fox host urging viewers not to rush to judgment against Moore.

On social media, many used the hashtag #BoycottKeurig to slam the company for pulling its ads. Some posted videos of themselves smashing their Keurig machines and others vowed never to use the coffee maker again.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/11/13/people-destroying-their-keurig-coffee-makers-after-company-pulls-ads-hannity-fox-show/857563001/

Bet you didn’t think it was gonna be him did you? And you think you’re so smart! We’re going to talk about this more later in the show, but we’ll end this entry with this clip because I feel it’s fitting!

Idiots #5-6:

Holy fucking shitballs! Did Trump really just say that? Of course he did, and if you expect anything less then we’re not living in the same year. Here’s the tweet. Can we throw that up there?

That must have been an exceptionally angry 3:00 AM toilet tweet that morning. Is someone putting something in Trump’s food? You know he’s taking a colossally backed up shit when he puts his all caps face on! Just let that image sink in for a moment.
*audience cringes, laughs*

Idiots #1-21:
Here’s the story of a man named Cliven who raised up three very angry sons. All of them hate the government. The youngest one said so on Facebook. Here’s the story of a man named Ammon who dug a poop trench and got dildos instead of snacks. And now they’re all behind bars as one big jail happy family. And that’s why they’re called the Bundy Bunch. The Bundy Bunch. I could do that bit all day.
*audience applauds wildly*

[font size="8"]Best Of The Top 10: Seasons 6 - 11

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This entry is going to chronicle the best of season 6 – season 11. And if we didn’t get to your favorites, don’t worry, there’s plenty more where this came from! Hit it!

Idiots #6-3:
Shut up!!!!! If you really were serious about crime and drugs you’d start prosecuting the pharmaceutical companies who peddle addictive opioids and the for profit prisons who lock people for the pettiest of crimes! Those are the people who are really bringing crime and drugs into our streets. And you know Trump is a guy who loves to rub salt in the wound. Think of it like Lucy pulling the football from Charlie Brown and then she spits in his face and kicks him in the ribs as he’s lying on the ground.
*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #6-5:
OK so let’s recap. Media company that touts “America First Trumpism” and promotes MAGA conspiracy theories and is hostile to democratic causes takes down a democratic governor with a medical school yearbook picture? Nah, that can’t be coincidence. And speaking of coincidence, you can’t say that “it’s you” because of a yearbook scandal from just one year. But if your school has to ban yearbooks because of multiple racist scandals, then yeah, it’s you.
*audience applauds wildly*

Idiots #6-8:

That’s right – we got him!!!! You commit 16 crimes, whaddya get??? Damn that sure is catchy isn’t it? I mean that’s my Tennessee Ernie Ford chunk right there. Yeah we’re keeping up with what the kids like, aren’t we? OK getting back on topic. What is Paul Manafort actually charged with? And you might be outraged that Mr. Manafort only got a slap on the wrist a couple of weeks ago, but if one court doesn’t get him, the other one will!

Idiots #6-14:

And that is certainly true! But, the resignation (or firing depending on which way you look at it) of Tribute Nielsen wasn’t the only significant elimination from the Trumper Games this week! No, the president has proven that he simply doesn’t care about security, as he fired longtime Secret Service head Tribute Alles from the 1st District!
*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #7-5:
Yes, Trump don’t know much about history. Or biology. Or the French he took. Ever since our president, @realDonaldTrump, got a taste of France’s grandiose military celebration known as Bastille Day, Trump has always wanted him a piece of that sweet, sweet, dictator chic. So of course, he’s throwing a parade the size of his ego, with a budget to match. I mean he originally had a budget of $1 million and it came out to about $93 million. Any director who went 547% over budget would be fired instantly. And of course it was also a total shit show. Because this happened. You know what? Let’s show the clip first.

*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #7-7:

Yes, stay creepy 4chan! And really what an age we live in where evidence of a fucking murder can be posted online in messaging forums. And how is 4chan not being monitored by the FBI and CIA as being a terrorist group? Well, maybe terrorism is a harsh word to use for a group of incels who live in their mom’s basement and spend the whole day chain smoking and pooping their pants. I assume that’s what incels do all day.
*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #7-12:

Yes, again threatening to murder someone with a weapon that you own is a pretty clear sign that you shouldn’t have one. Thanks, NRA!
*audience applauds wildly*

Idiots #8-4:

Well I for one welcome our nuclear squirrel overlords. And Nuclear Squirrel I hear just got added to Coachella. And in case you’re wondering what is fueling the fire moving the Doomsday Clock well guess what? It’s that device that you’re holding in your hand right now. Yeah I’m talking to you. It’s your phone – your Facebook, Twitter, and social media accounts.
*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #8-13

What unique status? The only reason he has a unique status is that he happens to be married to your girlfriend, er, daughter Ivanka. Yeah that got weird didn’t it?
*virtual audience laughter*

Idiots #8-16:

Yeah seriously stop being so fucking stupid! Do we need to remind you that there’s a killer virus out there that – as George Carlin put it – is capable of turning your vital organs into liquid shit? And that it kills at a 5% rate? Go ahead and get your surf on while the rest of us stay inside. Yeah it sucks that we can’t go enjoy a nice day on the beach right now, but it’s better than being buried in a box in a ditch on an abandoned island. I can guarantee that.
*virtual audience laughter*

Idiots #9-1:

That is a good point! We’ve been cooped up here at the Top 10 Home Offices for so long we’ve forgot what it would be like to be part of a functioning society again. And remember when society used to function before COVID? Yeah that was like unleashing Skynet or Thanos snapping.
*virtual audience laughter*

Idiots #9-7:

Uh… Mayor Bottoms? Have you been following the same insane administration we have for the last four years? Are you really surprised by anything he says anymore? Yes, Trump, your message is bad and you should feel bad! But then again Trump is a sociopath who makes everything about himself and feels no empathy or shame in anything he does.
*virtual audience laughter*

Idiots #9-11:

I think having a killer spider might make things even worse! But really no one took the liberty of naming the fly? That’s pretty lame! Seriously, even the fly has more charisma than Mike Pence does.
*virtual audience laughter*

Idiots #10-1: We’re of course still coming to you from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club.
Idiots #10-2: We’re still coming to you from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club.
Idiots #10-3: We’re still coming at you live from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club and we will be doing that for the foreseeable future at least.
Idiots #10-4: Of course we’re still coming to you from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club for the foreseeable future, so there’s that.
Idiots #10-5: Still coming to you from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club for the foreseeable future.
Idiots #10-6: We’re still coming to you from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club for the foreseeable future which currently seems hopeless, I know.
Idiots #10-7: We’re still of course coming to you from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club for the foreseeable future – and we might actually have a date as to when we’re finally going to get out of this thing!
Idiots #10-8: We’re still coming to you live from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club for the foreseeable future.
Idiots #10-9: We’re still coming to you from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club for the foreseeable future.
Idiots #10-10: Still coming to you from this blank, blue void in the back room of a Burbank comedy club for the foreseeable future.
Idiots #10-11: This is the very last and final Top 10 Conservative Idiots… … at Flappers Comedy Club with the blank, blue void!

Idiots #11-2:

Uh………. Yes we are! I mean this guy attempted to overthrow the government! Why isn’t this being hammered more in the media? Why do we have to read about it in a book that’s coming out several months after the fact?
*audience applauds wildly*

Idiots #10-10:

Let me speak to all the future wannabe criminals out there - if you're going to commit a crime, maybe, I don't know, don't use fucking Cash App to commit said crime! Oh look at that! He broke the stupid scale! Ladies and gentlemen, mark this very moment as the time of death for the stupid scale! By the way, Matt Gaetz turns on his full Trump conservative persona and suggests that he’s actually the victim in all of this! Now really, you have got to be fucking kidding me on this one. But not really.
*virtual audience applause*

Idiots #11-7:

Excuse me a minute… OK go ahead and take that horse dewormer, we won’t stop you! Don’t be surprised when you’re eating through a feeding tube and using a colostomy bag when the ivermectin turns your small intestine into liquid shit. But remember hydroxychloroquine? That emerged when Former Guy suggested it after telling people to drink bleach? Yeah fool me once shame on you. Fool me ten thousand times, you were probably brainwashed by social media propaganda!
*audience laughs and applauds*

Idiots #10-5:
Oh man if we had an audience right now you can bet they would be booing as loudly as possible. That is fucked up! It is so fucked up! And if you want to know what he really thinks about people who have had crippling cancer, well, let’s just say that he got what was coming to him. In fact I’m reminded of George Carlin’s bit about cigars. Think about this as you see what he said about gay men suffering from AIDS, one of the worst possible ways to go. Yes, Rush Limbaugh, may you rot in peace.
*audience applauds*

RIP Rush Limbaugh and the Donald Trump Presidential Administration: May You Both Rot In Hell.

[font size="8"]The Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict
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Whew. Thanks for letting me indulge in that for a bit! Now we are back to our usual business. And I have to start with the biggest story from the last two weeks. And I’ve been waiting for 3 weeks to talk about this because we had that unexpected shut down because of a software error. So we have to talk about Kyle Rittenhouse. Yeah I’m sure that everyone is probably sick of talking about this thing, and I can assure you – so are we. But the thing is none of this had to happen. It’s because of 40 years of the NRA’s completely reckless policies that a teenager can cross state lines with a loaded weapon, murder two protestors and injure 3, and gets acquitted because the judge is a card carrying member of the MAGA cult. What’s even more bizarre is that the right wing is making this psychopath a hero! I tell ya if the Democrats don’t hammer this point home in 2022 that the GOP is the party of cult members and psychopaths, then what are we doing? Am I right? OK enough of my rambling. Here’s the latest.

No doubt, some people will express shock at the verdict over the next few days. But Rittenhouse’s freedom is not a “miscarriage” of justice—it is our white justice system working as intended. This system is designed to free people like Rittenhouse: white vigilantes who kill to maintain the best interests of whiteness. It doesn’t always work (I still believe the people who lynched Ahmaud Arbery will be found guilty). But it works often enough (see George Zimmerman) that it gives comfort and confidence to any white person who clearly realizes that they might do an obviously illegal and violent thing (like, say, storm the US Capitol) and either get away with it completely or receive a light punishment.

We know that the system does not work this way for Black people. It is difficult even to imagine a similar set of circumstances for a Black defendant. Nobody honestly thinks that a Black teenager who got an illegal gun and then crossed state lines to shoot up a MAGA protest would be greeted by a sympathetic Black judge, in front of a predominately Black jury; be lauded by prominent Black leaders; enjoy favorable media coverage; and then walk free. Nobody credible thinks that. In point of fact, here is the full and complete list of Black teenagers who have killed two people at a MAGA rally to defend their community: …

Rittenhouse, however, shot and killed two people at a protest against police violence with an illegally obtained gun, and even the illegal gun charge was dropped against him. And that is precisely how a majority of white people want the white justice system to work. By their votes in elections (including elections for judges like Bruce Schroeder); their lack of support for criminal justice reform; and the cold reality that prosecutors favor white jurors when the defendants are Black, while defense attorneys favor white jurors when the defendants are white, we see that a majority of white people choose things to be this way. They want a system that will be, if not sympathetic, at least empathetic toward eruptions of white violence, while swift and harsh toward Black people accused of crime. We don’t have to live with a biased criminal justice system; white people, enough of them, just like it that way.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/kyle-rittenhouse-verdict/

Yeah BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! OK people stop your booing. Look I saw this coming and I even called it a few weeks ago. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. They literally let a kid get away with murder and he even went to Mar-A-Shithole to meet with Trump and he’s in a bidding war over the Troll Squad… thank you graphics department… over who he gets to intern for. I wish I was making this up, but you really can’t. It’s truly disgusting and disturbing.

Greene introduced a bill Tuesday to give Rittenhouse the award. While the bill’s full text was not immediately available, a summary states that the measure would “award a Congressional Gold Medal to Kyle H. Rittenhouse, who protected the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) riot.”

The likelihood that Greene’s effort will be successful is low. A bill requesting a Congressional Gold Medal must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the House and the Senate, both now controlled by Democrats, before it is considered by the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. After it is passed in Congress, the measure must be authorized by the president.

While congressional Democrats and President Biden have said they respect the jury’s decision in Rittenhouse’s case, they have largely condemned his actions in Kenosha.

Rittenhouse, now 18, was found not guilty of homicide, attempted homicide and other charges related to the August 2020 killings. During his trial, the teen testified that he had acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, now 27, during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wis.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/greene-rittenhouse-congressional-gold-medal/2021/11/24/c09980d2-4d49-11ec-a1b9-9f12bd39487a_story.html

Yeah BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! OK so yeah that’s taking things a step too far. Marjorie Greene is a professional Facebook troll, we all know that. But here’s the thing – we’ve pointed out on this program how he was hanging out with the Proud Boys flashing white supremacist signs and wearing a shirt that said “Free as fuck”. But that said, this guy is a wannabe killer. I mean there’s even evidence of him saying he wanted to shoot shoplifting protestors. So yeah is he guilty as fuck? Absolutely!

Newly discovered video caught Kyle Rittenhouse fantasizing about being a vigilante gunning down shoplifters — just 15 days before he shot three protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, according to prosecutors seeking to use it in his trial.

The 29-second clip included in a court motion filed Wednesday shows a CVS store, with a voice sounding like Rittenhouse suggesting that people running out were shoplifters.

“It looks like one of them has a weapon,” says the person prosecutors identify as Rittenhouse, but who was not actually seen in the video.

“Brah, I wish I had my f—ing AR. l’d start shooting rounds at them,” says the same person in the video used in the filing.

https://nypost.com/2021/08/20/kyle-rittenhouse-dreamed-about-shooting-people-days-before-kenosha-video/

Yeah this dude is guilty as fuck! Would the GOP be propping him up on a pedestal the way that they’re doing with this kid now? I mean one of my favorite headlines out of this is that our old buddy Ted Nugent offered him a lifetime supply of ammo (yes that’s a thing) and a gun club even gave him an AR-15. Seriously, are you trying to encourage him to kill again? Because you’re doing a damn good job of doing so! But if he is not going to prison for this, he might go to debtor’s prison! Because his bail was set at $2 million, and someone’s got to pay it!

Kyle Rittenhouse’s high-profile murder trial came to an end Friday with an acquittal, but the legal fight over the fate of his $2 million bail money is just beginning. Immediately after the jury in Kenosha, Wisconsin, ruled Rittenhouse not guilty, his defense team filed to have the Illinois teen receive the bail money that was raised on his behalf. But a nonprofit led by controversial defamation lawyer and QAnon conspiracy theorist Lin Wood has also filed a motion seeking the money.

“There’s going to be a fight over that,” Rittenhouse attorney Mark Richards said after the verdict. The money was initially raised after Rittenhouse’s bail was set at a staggering $2 million in November 2020, following a ruling from a court official that Rittenhouse’s hefty potential sentence and potential supporters meant he could become a flight risk. Conservative celebrities like Wood swung into action to raise enough money to get Rittenhouse out of jail ahead of his trial.

The dispute over the bail now centers on who deserves to receive the money now that Rittenhouse is free. The FightBack Foundation, which is run by Wood, claims it deserves the bail money because it raised much of the money, including in the form of a $150,000 loan from former Silver Spoons child star Ricky Schroder. Wood claims he personally guaranteed the loan, meaning he would be on the hook for paying it back if that’s true.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kyle-rittenhouse-rips-lawyers-lin-wood-and-john-pierce-as-they-feud-over-his-dollar2m-bail

[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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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! You know we live in strange times. And in these strange times there are those who you turn to for comfort. But this week, this isn’t about that. You know what this is about? This about the people who you shouldn’t be turning to in this time for comfort. I’m of course talking about Kanye West, Justin Bieber, and Marilyn Manson. But that said… is Kanye starting a cult? If there’s anyone in hip hop that could do it, it would be Kanye. Like most cult leaders, he’s charismatic and he’s got lots of money. The only thing he’s lacking is a remote compound in the middle of nowhere… oh wait, he has that too! But why would you court Marilyn Manson of all people? This is a truly insane development and it’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now is it? But Marilyn Manson is a disgusting individual, and I know what the Good Book says. But that’s also why we don’t allow any mention of the Unholy Dark One, a man so disgusting, foul, and vile that his name not be said in my church! But that said, this is one of the stranger duos I’ve ever seen.

It was only a matter of time before Kanye West would bring back his celebrity-friendly Sunday Service. But many were left slack-jawed when the rapper decided to mark its return this past Sunday (on Halloween no less) by having Marilyn Manson at his side nodding along as Justin Bieber prayed over the service.

Already West, who recently changed his name to Ye, was widely bashed over the summer for choosing to align himself with Manson, real name Brian Warner, when he decided to collaborate with him for the song “Jail Pt. 2” on his latest album Donda. The shock rocker has been publicly accused by at least 15 women of sexual assault, sexual battery, emotional and physical abuse, torture, as well as other disturbing behavior.

The 52-year-old is also still under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Warner has denied all allegations of abuse and assault.

The controversy surrounding West choosing to prop up Warner and fellow rapper DaBaby, who was also featured on “Jail Pt. 2” shortly after his homophobic rant at a music festival, all but died down over the past few weeks, as West picked up press elsewhere for going on coffee dates with Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen and wearing bizarre prosthetic face masks.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/christians-divided-over-marilyn-mansons-appearance-at-kanye-wests-sunday-service

Now… could Kanye be the very devil that we’ve been preaching about? Well he certainly is the kind of undesirable hypocrite that the Good Book speaks of. And he’s courting some people who you probably shouldn’t be courting. So why did Kanye choose to court with Mr. Manson? Well like most people on the right, Kanye is railing against cancel culture and the “Me Too” movement. But why would you get DaBaby involved too? This is turning out to be quite the unholy trinity here, and that’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now, is it?

Kanye West has defended his decision to perform alongside Marilyn Manson and DaBaby, while describing the Me Too movement as “power and politics”.

West – now legally known as Ye – took part in a lengthy, wide-ranging interview on the Drink Champs podcast yesterday (November 4).

At one point in the conversation, he spoke out on having courted controversy for recently working with Manson and DaBaby.

“All the Me Too… like, when I sit next to Marilyn Manson and DaBaby right after both of them got cancelled, for five songs, you know, it’s like they can’t cancel us all,” Ye explained.

“They’ll hit you with the accusations of somebody who you was with 10 years ago.”
https://www.nme.com/news/music/kanye-west-defends-performing-with-marilyn-manson-and-dababy-3088322

Yeah OK we get Kanye’s point that you can’t cancel music. But they’re not canceling music. These people all committed heinous crimes and they should all be punished for it, instead it seems like the opposite is happening. These people are abusers and criminals who should be shunned from society and instead they’re getting rewarded. Again our Good Book specifically states that JAYSUS would have hated these people if he were still alive today!

Kayne West has spoken out about why he’s joined forces with Marilyn Manson as of late. In a new interview, Kanye bemoaned cancel culture and various aspects of the #MeToo movement, adding that “they can’t cancel a song.”

After multiple allegations of sexual, mental and physical abuse were publicly made against Marilyn Manson earlier this year (the details of which you can see at the bottom of this post) the rock singer unexpectedly joined Kanye West onstage at an August listening party for Donda along with DaBaby.

Manson later prayed alongside Kanye West and Justin Bieber at a gospel gig, starting rumors that the Antichrist Superstar had converted to Christianity.

“All the #MeToo… like, when I sit next to DaBaby and Marilyn Manson … for five songs, you know, it’s like they can’t cancel a song,” West told Drink Champs. “They’ll hit you with the accusations or somebody who you was with 10 years ago. And also, there’s women who’ve been through very serious things, pulled in alleys against they will – that’s different than a hug, but it’s classified as the same thing. It’s power and politics. You know, power-hungry maniacs and just, control. This is Nineteen Eighty-Four mind control that we in. And mob mentality.” [via Consequence]

Read More: Kanye West Reveals Why He Joined Forces With Marilyn Manson | https://loudwire.com/kanye-west-reveals-why-joined-forces-marilyn-manson/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Yeah no, that’s the very sort of gospel that we preach against here at the Holy Church Of The Top 10, ladies and gentlemen. Because while JAYSUS wants you to live long and prosper, much like the command of the Starship Enterprise, you should be wary of those people who preach in stadiums like Kanye. Oh wait, I forgot that he just wants to be called “YE” now. But once again, if you’re on trial for something, you probably shouldn’t talk about that thing that you’re on trial for.

It would appear that Kanye West's efforts to win back Kim Kardashian have fallen short – considering she's going on breakfast dates with Pete Davidson in Beverly Hills, and he's on the other side of town taking a makeup-free Marilyn Manson out to dinner.

Two separate eyewitnesses saw the 44-year-old rapper and 52-year-old shock rocker at Bestia in Downtown Los Angeles Sunday night, eating and conversing.

One tipster told Deuxmoi that Manson attended the outing "sans makeup" and that "Ye had the ribeye." Another added that the Yeezy designer was overheard "talking about how all these hot girls still text him."

It's unclear what else the two may have discussed over the course of their meal, but West apparently made sure to "immediately put on headphones when he got up to leave."
https://radaronline.com/p/kanye-west-dinner-marilyn-manson-no-makeup-hot-girls/

No it isn’t! it is the symbol of the Unholy Dark One! That said, we’ll keep an eye on this and it’s only a matter of time before Kanye moves his services to his compound in Wyoming and declares war on the government. When that happens we’ll be there. Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Beating A Dead Horse: Woke Kid Rock
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Ah you know that old saying – “Get woke, go broke!”. Here’s the thing, MAGAs – when someone like Rage Against The Machine writes a song, it’s because they really are raging against the machine! But when someone like Kid Rock writes a political song, they’re really raging for the machine. And that’s a huge drop off in quality. By the way, MAGA people, we’re not laughing with you. We’re laughing *AT* you and because you don’t really care that we’re laughing at you, this is the kind of crap that we get. But this song is ridiculously terrible and I’m not even exaggerating here. But here’s the thing guys – you know that Kid Rock is not exactly someone who you should be listening to politically. He’s just trying to score points with the Fox News and Ben Shapiro crowd and that’s about it. I mean come on guys, Trump lost. Get over it. and when you start railing against cancel culture, not only do you come off as a colossal tool, you also come off as an angry asshole! And once again this is proof that conservatives absolutely have no sense of humor.

Kid Rock comes out swinging in his expletive-riddled collaboration with Canadian rock group Monster Truck, called "Don't Tell Me How to Live." The new song is a fiery take-down of "cancel culture," "offended" millennials," "backlash" and "fake news," with a lyrics sheet that reads like a bingo card of today's most politicized buzzwords.

"Years ago, we all thought it was a joke, see / That every kid got a motherf--king trophy / But yo, homie, here's the situation / A nation of p--sies is our next generation," Rock rap-sings in the song's second verse.

"And these minions and their agendas / Every opinion has a millenial offended / But this amendment one, it rings true / And if you don't dissent, b--ch, then see number two ..."

Per the Detroit Free Press, "Don't Tell Me How to Live" is the first installment of a forthcoming new project for Rock, and its stylistic return to '90s style, guns-blazing rock is indicative of more to come. The project is planned to be a 50-track triple album, breaking down into 10 hip-hop songs, 10 rock songs and 10 country songs, plus 20 previously unreleased tracks.

Read More: Kid Rock Lambasts 'Snowflakes' in 'Don't Tell Me How to Live' | https://tasteofcountry.com/kid-rock-dont-tell-me-how-to-live/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

OK I gotta admit that a 50 track album is pretty impressive. But given Kid Rock’s extreme far right politics, I think I will pass hard on this. Now here’s the thing too – I love a good beef, and I have no idea who these two people are but I totally side with Danko Jones on this one! Because the thing you can’t tell the MAGAs is how embarrassing their political beliefs are. They’re the product of a news network with a political agenda and the far right fringes of social media. But I’m glad there are people out there who are calling this bullshit out!

MONSTER TRUCK frontman Jon Harvey says that he was "super offended" by Danko Jones's recent criticism of his collaboration with Kid Rock.

On Friday (November 19), Kid Rock released his latest single, "Don't Tell Me How to Live", in which he rants against "woke" culture and the mainstream media at a time when "every opinion has a millennial offended." The first new music from the Michigan-bred rap-rocker since 2017, which was recorded with MONSTER TRUCK and plays off the Canadian band's 2015 song of the same title, was accompanied by an official music video which features Kid Rock telling his critics to "kiss my ass" and "suck a dick sideways" while wearing a white fur coat, a nod to his "Devil Without A Cause" days, along with basketball shorts, tube socks, chains and a fedora. Rock and Harvey trade vocals, smoke cigars and generally seem to be having a good time as Rock compares himself to some of the greatest icons of our time in what Rolling Stone calls, "the most offensive verse in the terrible song." "I'm like Reverend Run or David Lee Roth / Like Springsteen bitch, I'm the motherfucking Boss," Kid Rock declares. "James Dean, shit / I'm more like Brad Pitt / A little less pretty but I slang more dick."

On Saturday (November 20), Danko Jones, who was born and raised in the eastern-Toronto borough Scarborough, took to his Twitter to offer his scathing opinion of Kid Rock's new song as well as to call out the members of MONSTER TRUCK for choosing to align themselves with the conservative rocker, saying it gets them "a lifetime membership in the douchebag hall of fame."
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/monster-truck-frontman-fires-back-at-angry-danko-jones-over-opportunistic-kid-rock-comments/

Here he is……….. the biggest douche in the universe! He’s the douchiest of all! But here’s what I love about the internet. Internet celebrities. And one actual celebrity in particular is one of my favorite musicians of all time, Mr. Weird Al Yankovic! You gotta love it when Weird Al calls out Kid Rock for making what is essentially a bad parody of a Kid Rock song. And come on, a celebrity beef is probably my favorite reason why social media exists. It’s the only reason to use Twitter, IMO!

"Weird Al" Yankovic wants to clear the air and let music fans know that Kid Rock's new video for "Don't Tell Me How to Live" — the "Bawitdaba" singer and Joe Dirt actor's recent song that rails against "snowflakes," slams cancel culture and invokes the First Amendment — is not one of his parody music videos.

You know, lest one think the latest entry from Kid Rock featuring members of the group Monster Truck is a humorous take akin to Yankovic's past rock and pop pastiches of popular artists and songs such as "Smells Like Nirvana," "Eat It" and "Amish Paradise," among many others. Because apparently people on Twitter were already drawing that parallel.

"Don't Tell Me How to Live" emerged last week and pairs Kid Rock's rap stylings with gritty guitar backing, recalling the sound that first put him on the map. Its lyrics reference past Kid Rock songs while taking shots at the things seemingly troubling his worldview.

"A nation of pussies is our next generation!" Rock relays in the song. "And these minions and their agendas / Every opinion has a millennial offended / But this amendment one, it rings true."

In the accompanying video, Rock and Monster Truck's Jon Harvey smoke cigars while they trade off on vocals. Things later take a surreal turn when Rock blasts out of this world, hanging onto a giant middle finger statue propelling his journey to elsewhere. (If you haven't yet seen the music video, you can watch it below.)

Read More: 'Weird Al' Clarifies That Kid Rock's New Video Is Not His Parody | https://loudwire.com/weird-al-kid-rock-video-not-parody/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

And that’s probably the worst episode of the Simpsons, BTW. I mean come on, do you know how ridiculously dumb those lyrics sound? Like I said if you make songs parroting Fox News talking points, you’re just an angry asshole. And you’re not raging against the machine by any stretch of the imagination. You’re actually raging for the machine. But even Rolling Stone thinks this talking point might be beating its’ own dead horse. And what’s their obsession with dicks and reproductive organs, by the way? I don’t get that one.

Kid Rock gives a middle finger to the “snowflakes” and “a nation of pussies” on “Don’t Tell Me How to Live,” his first new song following a four-year reprieve from his music.

Despite wearing a shirt that reads “Social Media Sucks” throughout the video, Kid Rock spews a series of verses that read like an angry uncle’s tweets about the libs, complaining about cancel culture, “fake news” and how “every kid got a motherfucking trophy.”

“A nation of pussies is our next generation / And these minions and their agendas / Every opinion has a millennial offended,” Kid Rock raps. “But this Amendment One it rings true / And if you don’t dissent, bitch, then see Number Two.”

However, Kid Rock saves the most offensive verse in the terrible song for last, when he compares himself to the likes of Bruce Springsteen.

“I’m like Reverend Run or David Lee Roth / Like Springsteen bitch, I’m the motherfucking Boss,” Kid Rock claims. “James Dean, shit / I’m more like Brad Pitt / A little less pretty but I slang more dick.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kid-rock-snowflakes-fake-news-new-song-1260716/

[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to our segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable, Conspiracy Corner! We of course are coming to you live from our underground doomsday shelter deep in the heart of the New Mexico Badlands – Undisclosed location of course. Let me just adjust my tin foil hat here for maximum government interference – they are trying to read our thoughts after all! There, got it done. So this week, the people who are calling everything a conspiracy might actually be committing a conspiracy of their own! So the talking point now going around on Fox News, OAN, and your crazy uncle’s Facebook page is that January 6th was a false flag. It’s like they have no other talking points. As we’ve pointed out on this show, literally everything is a false flag to these wingnuts! Of course it is! They literally cannot compare it to anything else. And should Liz Cheney really be that surprised? The MAGA party is quickly taking over the Trump party, like a virus killing its’ hosts. OK bad analogy, but the principle applies!

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Sunday likened the claim that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was a “false flag operation” to individuals who say the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were an “inside job.”

Asked by host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” if there is any truth to arguments that the Jan. 6 attack was a “false flag operation” — specifically that liberal individuals from the “deep state” created the riots to set up conservatives and Trump supporters — Cheney said, “None at all” before comparing the assertions to ones made in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“It's the same kind of thing that you hear from people who say that 9/11 was an inside job, for example. It's un-American to be spreading those kinds of lies, and they are lies,” Cheney said.

The Wyoming congresswoman is one of two Republican lawmakers serving on the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 attack. She is joined by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on the panel.
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/580439-cheney-likens-claims-that-jan-6-was-a-false-flag-operation-to-9-11

Yeah probably! As if this can’t get any nuttier! But of course it was coming from our old friend Tucker Carlson. He’s the wingnuttiest of wingnuts. And come on, how can you possibly make that claim when there’s no evidence whatsoever backing it up? Well have you been following this administration? They literally take no responsibility for anything they have done. Everything is a false flag, or it was someone else’s fault. Or it was demons. Yeah fuck it, let’s go with demons on this one!

A debunked conspiracy theory that claims federal agents incited the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is making a new appearance in Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s new three-part documentary series, "Patriot Purge."

The controversial series that started airing Nov. 1 attempts to frame the insurrection as a false flag arranged by the federal government to ensnare American citizens who supported former President Donald Trump. The video is available on Fox News’ subscription-based streaming service "Fox Nation," but it’s not being aired on the Fox News channel.

"Most Americans probably assume the chaos on Jan. 6 was the result of intelligence failures or of simple government incompetence. But direct incitement by federal agents? The intentional entrapment of American citizens? No decent person wants to believe that. But increasingly there’s evidence it is true," Carlson claimed at the close of the first segment.

Carlson is wrong. There is no credible evidence behind this theory, and Carlson’s piece doesn’t present any. PolitiFact reached out to Fox News but did not hear back. The FBI declined to comment.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/nov/04/tucker-carlson/tucker-carlsons-conspiracy-theory-about-fbi-and-ja/

Here’s your answer: It was that guy’s fault! Yes, Trump is the guy who is responsible for all of this and he probably should be in prison right now for trying to overthrow the government. Come on, even Geraldo is dunking on Carlson for this insane theory. And I never thought I’d see the day when I would agree with Geraldo on anything! But does this mean that Fox News is even admitting that their own fanbase was involved with the January 6th attack? Or was it someone else’s fault?

Geraldo Rivera spoke out against his Fox News colleague Tucker Carlson on Thursday for the primetime star’s upcoming conspiratorial documentary on the Jan. 6 insurrection, lamenting that Carlson is peddling “inflammatory and outrageous” rhetoric in an effort to “provoke.”

Carlson, who has long downplayed the violent Capitol riots as nothing more than a “political protest that got out of hand,” previewed his new three-part series, titled Patriot Purge and premiering next week on Fox Nation, the network’s online streaming service.

“The U.S. government has in fact launched a new war on terror, but it’s not against al Qaeda, it’s against American citizens,” Carlson asserted before airing a teaser on Wednesday night. “Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of our country. This is an attack on core civil liberties and it’s essential that you know what’s happening and that you resist it.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/geraldo-rivera-swipes-at-tucker-carlson-over-jan-6-false-flag-documentary

https://i.giphy.com/media/xT0BKlOsSWDIFA0F7a/giphy.webp

Now that’s probably the best way to protect yourself in this 24 hour surveillance world! And everything has a “truther” element to it. 9/11, Sandy Hook, Aurora, the Vegas Shooting, my uncle’s funeral. I was there man! How many more people gotta die??? It was a false flag! It was Antifa’s fault! But really what this really is, is a lack of reading comprehension skills. Of course you’re going to misinterpret that NPR article because NPR uses things like big words and facts. If you can’t get past the headlines, you’re going to believe everything is a false flag!

Social media users have been sharing a screenshot of an NPR article entitled “Trump Supporters Storm U.S. Capitol, Clash with Police”, claiming that the timestamp on the article, “January 6, 2021, 9:33 AM ET”, proves that the storming of the Capitol was a staged event planned by the so-called “Deep State”. This claim is false: at 9:33am the headline of the article read “Diehard Trump Supporters Gather in Nations Capital to Protest Election Results” and it was later updated to reflect the storming of the Capitol.

Most of the posts ( here , here , here ) share a screenshot of a Parler post with the caption “NPR accidentally released an article at 9am about Trump supporters clash with police and Congress electoral count of votes being halted, HOURS before anything like this ever occurred. Advice to the Deep State: If you’re going to carry out a false flag, at least do it well.”

The Parler post includes a screenshot of the NPR article with the timestamp underlined and the deadline circled, topped with the caption “This was posted at 9:30 am today on NPR. Think about what time the event happened at the Capitol today.” Captions on some of the social media posts include, “This was a Deep State False Flag operation” (here) and “Let’s write up our news article BEFORE the event actually happened. Why? Because we’ve already staged everything and we know what’s going to happen.” (here)
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-fact-check-npr-headline-storming-of-c/fact-check-npr-jan-6-article-headline-does-not-prove-storming-of-the-capitol-was-staged-idUSKBN29J2MI

[font size="8"]People Are Dumb
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Hit it!

Of course you know by now that people are people and people are dumb. First off – don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of Florida for you this week! But before we get to that, I want to clarify what makes a People Are Dumb story. OK take this for example. A woman burning down her house, because a cigarette was left on the mantle, that’s not dumb. A guy burning down a McDonalds because they ran out of chicken nuggets? Now that’s a People Are Dumb story! I want to start with this story. I’m sure that the Tim Burton classic film The Nightmare Before Christmas is a beloved film. I mean they recently recreated the soundtrack to this movie in a sold out stadium. But what makes this a People Are Dumb story is because people in LA were reporting that a man was flying around in a jet pack. But on closer inspection, no it wasn’t Iron Man. Instead it was a Jack Skelington balloon that got loose and started wreaking havoc.

Investigators looking into a series of sightings of a mysterious "jetpack man" flying over Los Angeles say they may in fact have been balloons.

The FBI launched an investigation after several pilots reported spotting "a guy in a jetpack" at 3,000ft (915m) above the city's LAX airport last year.

But now officials say the pilots may have seen inflatables.

Police helicopter footage apparently shows a Halloween decoration that broke loose and drifted into the sky.

The images show what appears to be life-sized balloon effigy of Jack Skellington, from the 1993 Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59167345

Of course that’s what happens when Homer Simpson is involved! Next up – we go to Portland, Oregon for this one! OK you know that old saying “don’t bring a gun to a knife fight”? Well in the country where there’s more guns than people, maybe don’t bring a sword to a gun fight. Well, this guy in Portland got a valuable lesson what kind of weapons you should bring to a road rage battle. And I do love a good road rage story!

When it comes to driving, we all go a little mad sometimes. Maybe somebody forgot to indicate, maybe you’re stuck behind a car going 25mph on a national speed limit road, maybe another driver pulls out in front of you without warning. It’s inevitable; we all reach boiling point, and shouting and swearing helps – if its kept inside the car, obviously.

However, over in Portland, Oregon, footage has emerged of two armed men facing their frustrations head on.

Twitter user @SirThaFella recently shared a clip of two men caught up in some road rage, although it’s unclear what kicked off their altercation.

One man, armed with a bent sword and wearing only socks, approaches the other and swings it to his shoulder. The man facing the weapon seems completely unfazed, while the sword-carrier only gets more annoyed. After a while, he backs away, while the person filming shouts, ‘Beat his ass.’
https://www.unilad.co.uk/viral/man-pulls-out-samurai-sword-during-heated-road-rage-stand-off-with-man-holding-assault-rifle/

Next up – of course we have to go to Florida, because Florida Man never stops bringing the crazy and because of that, there’s tons of these stories out there! This story comes to us from the Florida town of Indian River, and is brought to you by the letter G! And come on, do you want me to start singing “Nuthin But A G Thang”? Because I will! There’s plenty of jokes that you can make about this story, but when you start throwing letters around, literally in this case, all bets are off! I really wonder what the police report said about this one and if the cops were laughing when they wrote it?

A Florida man appearing for arraignment ended up behind bars again Tuesday (October 19) after "violating the letter of law," as the Smoking Gun puts it.

Authorities in Indian River County arrested 26-year-old Jordan Thomas for allegedly battering a woman at a courthouse, but what he used was the bizarre part. An arrest report claims Thomas took "a signage letter from the blackboard in front of Court Room 3" and threw it at Shanterria Rolle, a 23-year-old Vero Beach resident. The letter "G" ended up hitting the victim, cops say.

Thomas, an Amazon driver, was being arraigned for a misdemeanor charge of battery, reporters say. He was accused of attacking Rolle in September, authorities confirmed. Officials say they caught the chaos on video while they were in recess.
https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-10-22-florida-man-arrested-after-throwing-a-g-at-woman/

Conservatives want to cancel Big Bird, by the way! Next up – I love a good fast food rage story! This is one of my favorite types of People Are Dumb stories. Because these people are crazy. We go to the city of Tampa for this one. Look, everyone is getting back in the swing of things, but don’t take your frustrations out on the people who serve you food. Or flight attendants. But really this is mostly about food servers. But yeah don’t be like this guy.

Florida man is at again, this time for going on a sushi throwing rampage in a hibachi buffet line.

According to an arrest affidavit, Mitchell, 52, entered the Hibachi Buffet in Pinellas Park and was not happy at all, to see the sushi he wanted on Saturday, was not being served.

Police say that Mitchell became angry and started flipping several plates of sushi that were on the hibachi buffet line.

Investigators say that Mitchell then walked to the front of the store and “battered” the store manager who was recording the sushi flipping escapade.
https://www.tampafp.com/florida-man-paul-mitchell-arrested-after-sushi-flipping-rampage/

That it is, Peter! Finally this week – you know the staff and I were debating on whether or not this was a People Are Dumb story. But considering the politics behind it, and the gross insensitivity on the subject, we have to include it. Because this is what People Are Dumb was made for. I mean there’s multiple layers of stupid in this story. But what am I getting at? You know one group you should never mock under any circumstances? Holocaust survivors. And with the reemergence of the Nazi party you really want to go through this crap again? I didn’t think so. But yeah let’s get to it.

Ten survivors of the Nazi genocide are taking part in the first global contest to crown the winner of the Miss Holocaust Survivor Beauty Pageant.

The event is organized by Yad Ezer l’Haver, a Haifa based charity that provides care and lodging for Holocaust survivors. It is funded by evangelical Trump super fan Mike Evans, whose Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem is hosting the gala.

Evans is best known for his fanatical support of former President Donald Trump and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last June, he warned that Israel was likely to lose the support of American evangelicals if it allowed “rabid dogs” Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid—now the country’s prime minister and foreign minister—to “crucify” Netanyahu.

One man who will not be attending is Jerusalemite Rami Ostrovsky, whose mother, Miriam Ostrovsky, survived multiple Nazi extermination camps as a teenager, said he saw an ad for the event in the paper.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/miss-holocaust-survivor-beauty-pageant-hosted-by-trump-super-fan?ref=home

That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Red State Diaries
[br] [/font] [br]

Welcome back to our ongoing survey of what the post-election MAGA clan is up to in our ongoing segment “Red State Diaries”! Last time, we brought you the story of how Q Anon nuts gathered at Dealy Plaza because a group of conspiracy theory nuts posting on the dark corners of the internet said that JFK Jr. survived his plane crash and was going to come back and tell the people that he was going to arrest all of the deep state operatives who were part of an elite pedophile ring. Whew. That is some serious amount of crazy here. But here’s where it gets weird – since we last left off, they have refused to leave! I would have thought that them thinking that Keith Richards was in fact JFK all this time would have been the absolute nuttiest conspiracy theory I could ever dream of. And it doesn’t even make any sense. But here's the latest on the crazy nuts in Dallas.

Weeks after they first gathered near Dealey Plaza, dozens of believers in the furthest fringe of the QAnon conspiracy theory remain in Dallas, expecting long-dead John F. Kennedy Jr. to reveal himself in the city where his father was assassinated and usher in the reinstatement of Donald Trump as president.

While their beliefs are patently absurd, the fervency and devotion of this particular group, along with their loyalty to a leader known as Negative48 and unwillingness to leave Dallas, is unique — and cause for alarm and concern, according to an expert who has followed QAnon for years.

“I think what you’re seeing here is really, undeniably a cult,” said Mike Rothschild, author of The Storm Is Upon Us, which chronicles the rise of, and fallout from, QAnon.

The leader of the group is Michael Brian Protzman, a Washington man who amassed a following on social media with his version of gematria, a Hebrew numerology language. Interpreting codes that include numbers and letters, and using elements of Christianity and QAnon, his followers have come to believe that Kennedy, who died in a plane crash in 1999, will reappear in Dallas and commence a new Trump administration.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/22/undeniably-a-cult-fringe-qanon-group-remains-in-dallas-awaiting-jfk-jrs-arrival/

What’s even more insane is that have these nuts not even researched any part of the history of the Kennedy family? JFK would literally hate these people. But the fact that they’re still there is some seriously insane shit. But that said, this is forming a melting pot of two serious groups of batshit crazy conspiracy theorists. Those groups are people who believe every crazy theory you’ve ever heard about JFK and every crazy theory that you’ve ever heard about Donald Trump. I can’t even.

Nearly three weeks ago, hundreds of middle-aged QAnon fanatics gathered in Dallas to witness the return of John F. Kennedy, Jr. This group believes that JFK Jr. and many other deceased celebrities — including his father, President John F. Kennedy — are not only alive, but part of a decades-long plot to take down a global pedophile cabal that secretly controls the world. Despite multiple no-shows from the former George publisher or his charismatic dad, dozens still haven’t left. In fact, one of the JFK Jr. truthers — a rapper by the name of Pryme Minister — offered the use of his property just outside Dallas, and the group’s Telegram chats indicate some of them have been living communally for weeks…

This QAnon group in particular is led by a popular conspiracy theory influencer named Michael Protzman, who has prophesied the Kennedys’ return, and organized these gatherings, the latest of which took place on Monday, the anniversary of the assassination of JFK. But this time they’re not the only JFK obsessed conspiracy theorist in Dallas. Just a few block away, at the Magnolia Hotel, about three dozen people gathered for the Ninth Annual JFK Assassination Conference, three days of discussions about the latest evidence and theories regarding autopsies, CIA informants, and links to 9/11.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/qanon-jfk-jr-conspiracy-theorist-convention-dallas-dealey-plaza-1261278/

That’s an understatement there! These people are off the wall over the top grade A certified batshit insane. Whew. And that sounds like the worst commune ever. I mean at least at a Phish concert there’s plenty of opportunities for beer and weed. These people bring… what I’m assuming to be a combination of meth and semi-automatic weapons. Well, it is Texas. But that said, these people are fucking nuts and they’re not going anywhere. Does someone want to explain to them that they’re living in a make believe fantasy land of bullshit?

Scores of QAnon conspiracy theorists converged in Dallas on Monday under the delusion that John F. Kennedy Jr., who died in 1999 and has been hailed as a savior by many in the movement, would somehow return on the anniversary of his father’s assassination—setting themselves up for another letdown after weeks of waiting for JFK Jr. to return and usher in a new Trump presidency.

More than 100 QAnon supporters gathered at Dealey Plaza, the site of President John F. Kennedy's assassination on this date in 1963, according to a reporter on the scene, packing onto a bridge overlooking the roadway where the president was fatally shot.

QAnon backers have been gathering in Dallas for weeks, and Monday is just the latest in a series of dates marked for JFK Jr.'s return.

Followers say JFK Jr. is Q himself, a mythological Trump supporter entrenched in the “deep state” that occasionally leaks information on the Satan-worshipping cabal of cannibalistic, pedophiliac Democrats QAnon followers think rule the world.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/11/22/qanon-supporters-pack-site-of-jfk-assassination-in-hopes-jfk-jr-and-maybe-his-dad-will-return/?sh=71e577af48a3

Damn right! But the question on the table is – where is this shit coming from? Who’s convincing them that JFK is still alive and that he’s a right wing operative looking to expose the deep state for committing satanic cannibalistic rituals? Well it’s coming from the author of a book that’s popular in Q circles called “Trust The Plan”. And what’s even scarier to me is that Q Anon is becoming as popular as some religions now. Trust me when I say we will cover this next week!

Conspiracy theorist group QAnon hit a bizarre milestone on Tuesday, when its supporters gathered for what they believed would be the return of the late JFK junior – who, they postured, would be running on an imagined 2024 ticket with former President Donald Trump.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Junior’s plane was pulled out of the Atlantic Ocean more than 22 years ago in a crash that killed him, his wife Carolyn and his sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette.

For some QAnon true believers, however, the son of the 35th president of the United States not only survived the tragedy but is poised to make a dramatic return to public life.

A bizarre theory has emerged suggesting that the accident was just a ruse to fake his death and that he will re-emerge – perhaps as early as next month – to join a reinstated President Donald Trump as his VP.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jfk-jr-qanon-back-dead-dallas-b1964092.html

[font size="4"]And Now This: [/font]
[font size="4"]Mastodon [/font]

https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/613a64a57c34b5ffaef74527/1:1/w_320/Mastodon.jpeg

Folks my next guest is one of my favorite metal bands of all time, you can see them on tour with Opeth through December 5th. Playing their song “Skeleton Of Splendor”, give it up for Mastodon!

[font size="4"]And Now This: [/font]
[font size="4"]The First Entry [/font]

Here it is folks, the very first entry we did from Idiots #1-1! Enjoy!

[font size="12"]Carly Fiorina[/font]

If you're puzzled by the attacks at the Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado as much as we are, Carly Fiorina definitely isn't the one to look to for answers or sympathy. My definition of today's modern GOP is that they have a glorious lack of empathy. And while evil, their intentions are not the best and clearly misguided. Enter Carly Fiornia, disgraced HP CEO and current disgraced GOP candidate. This is Carly before the shooting:

"“Whether you’re pro-choice or pro-life, the majority of Americans are horrified by the reality that we’re harvesting baby parts through late-term abortions,” Fiorina said.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/426725/carly-fiorina-the-view-planned-parenthood"

After the shooting:

"“Secondly, this is so typical of the left to immediately begin demonizing the messenger, because they don’t agree with the message. The vast majority of Americans agree, what Planned Parenthood is doing is wrong. That’s why the vast majority of Americans are prepared not only to defund Planned Parenthood, but also to stop abortion for any reason at all after five months.”
http://reverbpress.com/politics/carly-fiorina-planned-parenthood-lies/

Shoot the messenger? Extremely poor choice of words there, Carly.

Thank you everybody! I want to say thank you for supporting 5 (6?) years of the Top 10 Conservative Idiots, here’s to 5 more! This has been a very sentimental evening for me and I’m glad to see it finally come about! We’ve got just two more Top 10s for you this year and we’ll see you back on the 9th for our last regular Top 10 of the year!

See you next week!

Credits

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October 28, 2021

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-13: The Insurrection Family Edition (Halloween Special!)

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-13: The Insurrection Family Edition (Halloween Special!)

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots Halloween Spooktacular! What’s up, Sacramento? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? Great! Happy Halloween everybody! So you will see that our set dressers dressed up our set with some fun Halloween decorations and I’m wearing this Dracula costume, because reasons! Oh and our good friends in Phish are stopping by to play a Halloween jam in support of their shows this weekend at the MGM Grand! So we’ve got some great things planned this week! And I also hope you’re enjoying Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons as much as we are! Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do! OK so I am starting to feel like we are living in a world full of adult children. And I’m of course not saying this dressed as Dracula sitting at a desk in front of a giant monitor covered in fake spider webs. No sir! But what I am talking about – Fisher Price, you know them as the premier manufacturer of children’s toys. Well they made a 2021 version of the childhood dial phone that we’re all familiar with. But the twist? It runs on Bluetooth, can hook up to your smartphone, and costs $60. Yes and there’s a huge demand for this thing. Can we show that? But look here’s the thing – I can’t get over the eyes! I feel like someone is watching me even when I am not on the phone here! That’s just weird! But really, grow up people! OK that’s enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first – John Oliver is back and he talks about the dire straits that Taiwan is in:

Where do we begin for this Thursday Halloween Spooktacular? In the number one slot this week is obviously the Former Guy (1). Yes we still want to know where he, Alex Jones, Steve Bannon, and Ali Alexander were on January 6th, but Steve Bannon’s shocking revelation puts Trump in the crosshairs of Congress! And don’t think we’re not letting Steve Bannon (2) get away with it for a minute because the fact that he’s defying Congressional orders to subpoena means that he’s hiding something, but what is it? We want to know! Come on, Steve, what are you hiding? In the third slot this week is Social Media (3). While Facebook is considering rebranding, because that’s what perfectly innocent companies do, Former Guy is also launching his own social media site and it wasn’t long before it was hacked and defaced! Taking the number 4 slot this week is Netflix (4). Well apparently the Netflix controversy with Dave Chappelle over his incendiary comments about transgender people isn’t going away any time soon and we will tread very carefully with this one! In the number 5 slot this week is Anti-Vaxxers. You know that meme going around Facebook “Yesterday’s heroes, today we’re fired” meme? Well some people are taking that way too seriously. In the number 6 slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” and this week our resident pastor is going to ask the question “Is Virginia for lovers?”? Well apparently not once you meet rising GOP star Glenn Youngkin who’s going for the Virgnia governor’s seat. In the number 7 slot this week, we have a new “Beating A Dead Horse” (7). And after the controversy involving the Raiders’ Jon Gruden, we ask the question - should 10 year old e-mails get you in trouble? We will answer both sides of the question! In the number 8 slot this week, we have a new edition of “This Fucking Guy” and in light of some recent controversies, we’re going to profile a pair of country music twits – Travis Tritt and newly outed MAGA Jason Aldean! In the number 9 (NEIN!!) slot this week, we have a new People Are Dumb, because of course they are! Finally this week in our ongoing explanation of what the MAGA cult is up to in Red State Diaries (10), what’s the latest meme going around on the right – “Let’s Go Brandon”? We will examine this one and show you some of the stupider things to come out of it! All this plus we have our good friends Phish joining us! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

Ed. Note: Before we begin this week, I want to address this: We are *NOT* going to address the Alec Baldwin shooting at this time. We did get a lot of requests for Donald Trump Jr. because he sold those disgusting “Alec Baldwin Kills People” shirts. For that, he is a colossal scumbag. But even with that, we are choosing not to cover this story this week. We may choose to cover at a later date.

[div style="padding: 20px; background-color: #ffffff; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0px 2px 4px 1px #aaa;"][div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-weight: bold; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999; padding-bottom: 8px;"]

[font size="8"]The Insurrection Family
[br] [/font] [br]

https://twitter.com/avenaim/status/1452010028542480384

Is that really a band? No it’s the Insurrection Family! Thank you graphics department!

What? Stop the music! I’m not singing some lame Addams Family cover. Besides, Progressive Insurance already ruined it with those lame advertisements. OK fine… they’re scary and they’re treasonous, the Insurrection Family! But you know folks it’s no secret that in season 10 we had a “Goodbye To The Trump Administration” special edition planned. But then these assholes just had to go and overthrow the government. And that’s when we were sitting at home watching the horror of January 6th unfold on our computer screens and said a collective “fuck this shit” over a Zoom call. Yeah that almost did us in for good with that one. How do you even top that for conservative idiocy? You don’t. That might be the absolute peak. Yeah let’s try to overthrow the government and hang our own sitting vice president, how well is that going to work out? Well if Steve Bannon’s defiance of a subpoena is any indication of their guilt, there’s going to be a whole lot of trouble!

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday widely praised those who attended the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the insurrection at the Capitol, repeatedly using the word “love” to describe the tone of the event.

Echoing his rhetoric about the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., Trump said, “These were peaceful people, these were great people.”

Speaking on “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” on the Fox News Channel, he also said the rally participants were patriots, that some of them were unjustly arrested and jailed, and that a woman who was shot and killed by law enforcement during the insurrection was a great hero.

The remarks reflected recent efforts by Trump and his supporters to cast themselves as the aggrieved parties from the Jan. 6 riot, which left five people dead and others injured — and, for a brief time, halted the wheels of democracy as President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the Electoral College was being confirmed by Congress.

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2021/07/11/trump-jan-6-insurrection-these-were-great-people-499165

Oh yeah sure and the Nazis weren’t out to conquer Europe and exterminate the Jewish people either, shut the fuck up! And come on it doesn’t take a political science major to see where this is headed. That entire party has been compromised with Trump loyalists from top to bottom. Remember the “you’re with us or you’re against us” mantra from the Bush years? Yeah picture that but a hundred thousand times worse!

Trump supporters organized and attended the January 6 US Capitol insurrection, according to The New York Times, Recode and NBC

Many of the hundreds of people who have been arrested for participating in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol building were long-time supporters of former president Donald Trump, according to fact-checkers and reporters. Some of the people who participated in the attacks were named as “unindicted co-conspirators” in Capitol riot indictments and according to legal experts, undercover agents cannot be named as unindicted co-conspirators.

They came from across America, summoned by President Donald Trump to march on Washington in support of his false claim that the November election was stolen and to stop the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden as the victor.

“Big protest in D.C. on January 6th,” Trump tweeted a week before Christmas. “Be there, will be wild!”

The insurrectionist mob that showed up at the president’s behest and stormed the U.S. Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, members of the military and adherents of the QAnon myth that the government is secretly controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophile cannibals. Records show that some were heavily armed and included convicted criminals, such as a Florida man recently released from prison for attempted murder.

The Associated Press reviewed social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records for more than 120 people either facing criminal charges related to the Jan. 6 unrest or who, going maskless amid the pandemic, were later identified through photographs and videos taken during the melee.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/records-show-fervent-trump-fans-fueled-us-capitol-takeover/2503330/?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_LABrand

Oh come on people stop your rabbling! But come on, Trump, own it. You caused this and I by the way am not at all shocked in any way, shape, or form that Tucker Carlson is turning around and blaming this on literally anyone but the MAGAs. But now Trump is turning the tables and saying that the real insurrection happened on November 6th when he lost the election. Wait, what? That’s too batshit insane, even for him! I really wish he’d just shut the fuck up already.

Former President Donald Trump continued to champion the lie that he was unfairly stripped of office in the White House race against President Biden, saying Wednesday that the "real insurrection" happened on Election Day 2020.

"The Unselect Committee of partisan Democrats, and two very weak and pathetic RINOs, should come to the conclusion after spending many millions of dollars, that the real insurrection happened on November 3rd, the Presidential Election, not on January 6th—which was a day of protesting the Fake Election results," Trump said in an unfounded, conspiratorial statement.

The deadly January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was egged on by Trump in the waning days of his single-term presidency, with protesters — some of whom waved anti-American flags — storming the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of Biden's election victory.

High-ranking lawmakers, including then-Vice President Mike Pence, had to be evacuated to safety as some of the protesters threatened violence, including chants of "Hang Mike Pence," against those inside.
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/06/1043746455/trump-continues-to-lie-says-real-insurrection-happened-when-he-lost-election

I know, right? It’s almost as if they’re trying to white wash or blackball the situation of what happened on January 6th. Hey listen MAGAs and I will say this very carefully: SHUT THE FUCK UP. You tried to overthrow the government and murder half of Congress. You get no say from now on about how much you love the country. You don’t. Fuck you. Sit down. I can’t wait to see all of your sorry asses in jail and I hope you all lose the right to vote in 2024. That said just… I can’t wait until we are rid of these cretins.

What was obvious from the start is becoming even clearer with each day: The events that unfolded last Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol were an attempted coup that was planned, aided and abetted by a circle of GOP lawmakers and advisers.

The latest salvo comes courtesy of an eye-opening story from Rolling Stone, which reports that more than a half-dozen pro-Trump GOP congressmen or their representatives attended “dozens” of meetings designed to plan the mass break-in at the U.S. Capitol by demonstrators, in an attempt to stop the Senate from certifying Joe Biden’s election as president.

Rolling Stone quotes two organizers who were involved in the plans. The magazine said the two insiders have been talking to U.S. House investigators and plan to tell what they know to a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

We hope their testimony and that of others — along with evidence gathered — puts to rest the lie that the insurrection was merely the work of disgruntled yahoos or “a normal tourist visit.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/10/25/22744566/we-need-find-out-who-organized-january-6-insurrection-washington

[font size="8"]Steve Bannon
[br] [/font] [br]

And speaking of the Insurrection Family, don’t think you’re getting away from us for a minute there, Steve Bannon! You know Steve Bannon is doing what perfectly innocent people do in these types of situations. They just deny and defy. Deny. Defy. Deny. Defy. That’s what 40 years of listening to AM hate radio goons like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck will get you. So what happens after all of that and he’s still not going to jail? Well in the last edition we pointed out how scummy it is of Steve Bannon to defy Congress because he won’t say where he was in the events leading up to and including the morning of January 6th. And now would really be the time to find out what he knows and who he knows because there could be some serious charges dropping. But right now he’s in his hidey hole on his podcast taking calls from people who are deranged enough to call into his show. Because again that’s exactly what perfectly innocent people do!

Former Trump White House strategist Stephen Bannon’s choice to buck a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol could tee up a big decision for a Justice Department determined to strike an independent tone.

The House committee has said it may refer Bannon for criminal prosecution by the Department of Justice (DOJ) if he doesn’t appear for a deposition slated for Thursday.

Such a move would place Attorney General Merrick Garland in the center of a debate over whether to go after a former right-hand man of Donald Trump after vowing to restore the reputation of a department that was deeply politicized under the prior administration.

“That’s going to be something that will be considered at the highest levels at DOJ, and what they're going to consider with any referral like that is how strong of a case is it, and even if it’s readily provable — how important is it that we do this?” said Mark Osler, a former federal prosecutor who now teaches law at the University of St. Thomas.
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/576256-bannons-subpoena-snub-sets-up-big-decision-for-biden-doj

Whoa let’s not judge just yet! Remember this is America where you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But considering Steve Bannon is already a criminal who’s been pardoned by our former president, he’s probably guilty. Of something. But what that is, we don’t know. Moving on though, where does that put the January 6th commission and our current attorney general Merrick Garland? They’re currently in a tough spot and hoping to weasel out the weasel.

As a top adviser to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff has been a principal figure in some of the country’s most dramatic political and national security concerns, including the 2020 impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

A Framingham, Mass., native and 1985 Harvard Law School graduate, Schiff was first elected to Congress in 2000. His leadership of the intelligence committee put him squarely in the middle of Trump’s clashes with U.S. intelligence, from the FBI investigation into Russia’s election interference to the impeachment of the president for his efforts to pressure Ukraine for political gain. The California Democrat is now a member of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Out with a bestselling memoir, “Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could,” Schiff spoke to the Gazette Tuesday about the Jan. 6 committee’s work even as new information unfolds. Interview has been edited for clarity and length.
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/10/adam-schiff-vows-speedy-aggressive-probe-of-jan-6-assault/

You guys attempted to overthrow the government! You don’t get to weasel out of it! And not only that, as we’ve come to realize, that entire party is compromised from top to bottom. Who knows how deep this goes (phrasing) and who knows who is involved and what they know? And what the primary intentions of this little exercise in domestic terrorism were? We may never know unless we start hammering (phrasing) this home. We have got to nail (phrasing) these assholes for what they did!

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol faces a major test of its subpoena powers as the Justice Department considers whether to prosecute former Trump aide Steve Bannon for criminal contempt of Congress.

Members of the select committee have repeatedly warned that there will be serious consequences for anyone who refuses to comply with subpoenas for testimony or documents with relevant information about the storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, and the events leading up to it.

“The Select Committee will not tolerate defiance of our subpoenas,” the committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement earlier this month, insisting that “witnesses who try to stonewall the Select Committee will not succeed.”

But days after the House of Representatives voted to cite Bannon for criminal contempt of Congress for doing just that, it remains unclear what more, if anything, will be done to compel him — or anyone else — to cooperate with the probe going forward.
https://news.yahoo.com/bannons-been-cited-for-contempt-of-congress-but-will-he-ever-be-forced-to-cooperate-with-the-jan-6-probe-172601854.html

Yeah probably. So what’s next for the MAGA movement? Unless Trump has a massive heart attack and drops dead (which will most likely be the source of his ultimate demise), it seems nothing can touch them. Yeah phrasing, I know! But we’ve tried arresting them, we’ve tried trying them, and we’ve tried impeaching them. But they keep coming back stronger like an insane T2 robot. I guess the only thing left to do is to Scooby Doo them and pull off their mask and find out who they really are.

A tweet issued by Representative Paul Gosar on January 6 has resurfaced following a report that the Republican offered pardons to those planning the protests in Washington, D.C.

The post, which encouraged Joe Biden to step back from his electoral victory, included a photo of the large crowd assembled at the Stop the Steal rally earlier that day.

"Biden should concede," Gosar wrote. "I want his concession on my desk tomorrow morning. Don't make me come over there."

Social media users re-upped the tweet in light of the Rolling Stone article published Sunday in which two pro-Trump rally organizers said they met with Gosar and other GOP lawmakers in the weeks leading up to the Capitol attack.
https://www.newsweek.com/paul-gosars-january-6-tweet-resurfaces-after-report-he-offered-pardons-rally-planners-1642267

[font size="8"]Truth Social
[br] [/font] [br]

Yay! Another right wing social media platform I couldn’t give less of a shit about! There’s Parler, then there’s GETTR, then there’s Telegram, then there’s Dlive, then there’s Gab, there’s way too much of this bullshit. Eventually these things are going to prop up about as fast as the orange stands you see on the freeway offramps. And they’re all shitty services too. But what makes Truth Social the new platform of choice among hard right conservatives? That’s right – it’s got the Former Guy’s Seal Of Approval on this latest ring of shitty merchandise. You know he really is getting to be a real life Krusty The Klown, he’ll put his name and face on everything! And of course while conservatives everywhere are screaming at “Big Tech” about rules and censorship, guess what? Truth Social has its’ own terms of service that users must abide by. But they don’t believe in rules do they?

The internet infrastructure company that will host former President Trump’s new social media platform says it expects the network to have more than 75 million users.

RightForge, which is known for hosting conservative sites, will host Trump’s “Truth Social” network, Axios first reported, with company CEO Martín Avila telling the news outlet on Monday that it has been “laying the groundwork” for Truth Social to have more than 75 million users.

"That’s why there will be servers everywhere," Avila said.

Representatives affiliated with the network declined to comment to Axios on whether RightForge is their provider.

The Hill has reached out to Trump Media & Technology Group for comment.

The former president, who following the Jan. 6 insurrection was banned from Twitter and suspended from Facebook over his false claims on the 2020 election, announced the launch of Truth Social last week. A beta launch for “invited guests” is expected in November, and a full launch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022.
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/578557-host-of-trump-social-media-platform-expecting-more-than-75m-users

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! 75 million users! That’s a good one! Trump could barely fill a stadium in Tulsa! And a pasture in Alabama. You know that’s another thing – why are they calling us “sheep” when they’re the ones who are sitting in cages on a farm? Yeah answer me that, my fair audience! I just… the ego on these people is criminally insane. And not only is he fighting back against “Big Tech” (whatever that is), he’s also fighting back against “Woke” and “Politicized” programming (again, whatever that is).

Former President Donald Trump, a frequent critic of the media, plans to wade into the world of video streaming services and potentially web services and payment processing as well.

Trump, who was kicked off all his social media accounts in the wake of the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, has been teasing the launch of a Trump-approved social media platform for months. Last week, he announced the creation of the Truth Social platform, and on Tuesday he shared his plans to go beyond social media. The platform will operate under the Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), a company designed to "challenge the dominance" of big tech, according to Trump.

Calling Truth Social "only the beginning" of the group's plans, Trump said an on-demand video streaming service to compete with the "woke and politicized 'entertainment' programming created by Big Tech and Big Media players" is being launched. He added that the group also sees opportunities to create "cancel-proof" alternatives in web services and payment processing.

"It's a tremendously difficult set of challenges—and I realized I might be the only person in America with the megaphone, the resources, the experience, and the desire to make it all happen," Trump said in a statement Tuesday.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-launch-video-streaming-service-compete-woke-politicized-programming-1642658

That is a good question. Before Trump channels his inner Bender, let’s remember Trump’s track record of failed products. This was a guy who sold freeze-dried steaks through the Sharper Image and that was a colossal fail. He had his own airline, that failed. He had his own vodka, that failed. He had his own university, that failed. Now he has “Truth Social”. I guess this is the only Trump product that doesn’t have his name or face on it? And how are they going to attract 75 million users when they cant even get the beta testing for this ridiculous app off the ground?

Ex-President Donald Trump and his associates have been accused of many crimes, but here's a new one. The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC), a non-profit organization that promotes open source software and defends open source licenses such as the Gnu Affero GPL version 3 (AGPLv3) license, has accused the Trump Media and Technology Group of violating the AGPL by illegally copying the Mastodon social network source code for its Truth Social social network beta.

Here's how it worked, as Bradley M. Kuhn, a free software activist and SFC Policy Fellow and Hacker-in-Residence, sees it.

Mastodon is free and open source software for running self-hosted social networking services. Anyone can use it, as Kuhn observes: "The license purposefully treats everyone equally (even people we don't like or agree with), but they must operate under the same rules of the copyleft licenses that apply to everyone else." But, if you use it, you must release the source code or make it possible for users to get the code; Trump and his cronies didn't. It's that simple.

The AGPLv3 is one of the less commonly used open source licenses. It's explicitly designed to ensure that the operator of a network server that provides a service, such as a social network, must provide the source code of the modified version running there to its users.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/trumps-truth-social-beta-site-violates-open-source-license/

That’s pretty much what it is like for these people. You get banned from the big sites? Go start your own site. But good luck on it attracting users away from the popular sites like Twitter and Facebook. But by the way, in case you’re wondering what the over / under on this site being hacked is, well guess what? It didn’t take long! In fact this might be the quickest that a right-wing social media site has been hit with a DDOS attack. So Truth Social may be out there, but we suspect it will fold faster than the burrito that I had for lunch!

Former President Donald Trump's new social media platform was reportedly hacked within hours of its announcement.

Trump announced he was launching a new media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, and its "Truth Social" app on Wednesday. The "Truth Social" app will begin a beta launch for "invited guests" in November, with a nationwide rollout planned for early 2022, according to a press release.

But people were able to sign up to create accounts using a publicly available link, Drew Harwell, a technology reporter for The Washington Post, said on Twitter late on Wednesday.

"I literally just registered 'mikepence.' The site hasn't even launched yet and it's already this vulnerable," Harwell added. In a subsequent tweet, he revealed that account had been suspended.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-truth-social-hacked-within-hours-announcement-1641137?amp=1

[font size="8"]Netflix
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We at the Top 10 home offices in Santa Ana were having a hard time as to how to spin this one and I’m not going to lie about that. Because I am a fan of Dave Chappelle. But on the other hand we can see how the trans community is really pissed off. So that said let’s start by walking back the events of the last month. It all stated because of Chappelle’s latest special “The Closer”. And Chappelle said some very unflattering things about trans people. This of course caused a proverbial shit storm among the trans employees who work at Netflix, including the firing of the show runner of a show on Netflix called “Dear White People”. This all sounds made up doesn’t it? That it is not, and I can assure you that it’s a complete and total clusterfuck. And really this is all on Netflix. But the question that is on the table here is – did Dave Chappelle cross the line with the comments he made in his special? To which I answer “we are not touching this one with a 10 foot pole!”.

Though Dave Chappelle is known for his irreverent comedy style, many believe that the transphobic comments he made in his most recent Netflix special, Dave Chappelle: The Closer, crossed the line. The 72-minute streaming stand-up routine drew widespread criticism after its Oct. 5 release, with an executive producer on another Netflix series calling out the streamer for “dangerously transphobic content,” per the New York Times. The controversy has been swirling ever since — on social media, in think pieces, and even within Netflix itself.

Chappelle has not incurred any sort of retribution outside of public backlash, but not all of the streaming service’s employees have been so fortunate. On Friday, Oct. 15, The Verge reported that Netflix fired the leader of a trans employee resource group that had been organizing an Oct. 20 employee walkout in light of the company’s defense of the special. The unnamed former employee, whom the outlet described as Black and currently pregnant, had reportedly been encouraging trans staffers and allies to stage a protest prior to their termination.

A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the employee’s dismissal, per the Verge, citing “sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company” as the reason for termination. “We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company,” the spokesperson explained. (Though it’s unclear if the two are related, Bloomberg published a report that included leaked metrics, including that Netflix shelled out $24.1 million on The Closer.)
https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/dave-chappelle-netflix-controversy-explained

Yeah pleading the 5th is probably the best stance we could take here. I refuse to testify on the grounds that it may incriminate me. But this whole thing is weird and it’s getting even weirder. But then of course that gets into the whole “cancel culture” talking point that’s been dominating Fox News and Real Time with Bill Maher lately. You can’t “cancel” a comedian. Especially one as prolific as Dave Chappelle is, and that only gives them more fuel for the fire.

Amid a swirl of controversy around his new Netflix special, The Closer, Dave Chappelle took center stage Thursday night at a star-studded and sold-out show at L.A.’s iconic Hollywood Bowl. Though the superstar comedian did not repeat any of the jokes that have been loudly rejected by members of the LGBTQ community, GLAAD and the National Black Justice Coalition, he thumbed his nose at the notion of cancel culture while also promoting messages of kindness and love.

Chappelle shared the marquee with a screening of his Untitled: Dave Chappelle Documentary, a 118-minute film directed by American Factory Oscar winners Steve Bognar and Julia Reichert that offers an inside look at last year’s “Summer Camp” series. Mounted at Wirrig Pavilion near Chappelle’s home in Yellow Springs, Ohio, the more than 50 shows served to reinvigorate the small town during dark days in the COVID-19 pandemic as it played host to his circle of famous friends.

Some were on the bill tonight, including Snoop Dogg, Talib Kweli, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Stevie Wonder, poet Amir Sulaiman, Nas, Lizzo and a singing Jon Hamm. Comedian Jeff Ross kicked off the program with a short set, followed by a screening of the film, which one attendee described as “moving.” Then came Chappelle — dressed in a suit, with his wife and a cigarette in hand — for the main event that saw him being heralded at the mic on numerous occasions as the greatest living comic.

“If this is what being canceled is like, I love it,” the 48-year-old said in response to a standing ovation. The line, and many more like it, was greeted by rapturous applause from the crowd, which included a masked Brad Pitt, Tiffany Haddish, Donnell Rawlings, Chuck Lorre, Sterling K. Brown and others. At another point, he was more blunt: “Fuck Twitter. Fuck NBC News, ABC News, all these stupid ass networks. I’m not talking to them. I’m talking to you. This is real life.”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/dave-chappelle-netflix-special-critics-cancel-culture-1235028197/

Yeah probably! Now here’s where it gets really weird, and you knew it was going to. So Dave Chappelle attempted to fan the flames by apologizing to the trans community. But the list of demands that he included were some of the most ridiculous demands we’ve ever heard. And really I had no idea who the fuck Hannah Gadsby is or why Dave would not consider her to be funny, but that is most definitely the most insane thing about this whole thing.

Dave Chappelle is denying a claim that he was invited, but declined, to meet with Netflix’s transgender employees/allies who took issue with his latest stand-up comedy special and on Oct. 20 staged a walkout. But he is open to such a sitdown, he said in a video posted Monday afternoon to his Instagram account.

“If they had invited me I would have accepted it, although I am confused about what we would be speaking about,” Chappelle says in the video below. “I said what I said, and boy, I heard what you said. My God, how could I not?

“To the transgender community: I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anybody’s demands,” Chappelle says about three minutes in. “And if you want to meet with me, I’d be more than willing to, but I have some conditions.

“First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end,” he said. Secondly, “You must come to a place of my choosing at a time of my choosing. And thirdly, you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny.”
https://tvline.com/2021/10/25/dave-chappelle-willing-to-meet-with-transgender-community-the-closer-controversy/

Holy shit, I think even the Pope has less requirements for scheduling a meeting with him! Well that said, we don’t expect this controversy to end any time soon and we will be covering it when it does. But let’s just say that the biggest enemy in all of Netflix’s mess is of course Netflix themselves. Because when you don’t pay attention to a particular group of employees, it can bring the whole organization down and that’s something that you never want to have happen under any circumstances! But you know what how about this? Let’s ask actual trans comedians about this subject!

On a summer night in New York's Greenwich Village, standup Jaye McBride's energy was squirrelly and unpredictable as she stood a few feet from a full crowd at the Comedy Cellar.
"You guys know I'm trans, right?" she asked the audience. "Y'all have figured that out by now? Bunch of Brooklyn detectives."
She made a crack about how 6 feet of distance and Zoom couldn't conceal her being trans.

"It's weird, because I wasn't trans before the vaccine," she deadpanned with a shrug.

The audience sat with the joke for a second before erupting into laughter and applause. McBride cracked a sly smile.

The vaccine joke is one of several in McBride's set that revolve around being transgender -- like many successful standups, she mines her own life for material, though she thinks her jokes are relatable for cisgender audiences, too.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/24/entertainment/trans-comics-dave-chappelle-netflix-cec/index.html

[font size="8"]Anti-Vaxxers
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Look people, if you want to end this nightmare, there is only one thing that you have to do and that is take the damn vaccine. It’s a simple externalities problem. The more people that take the vaccine, the more beneficial it is to society. It’s not that difficult to understand. But then again we live in the stupid country where half of the country listens to Fox News and AM hate radio and other bullshit rather than listen to the people who they’re supposed to listen to. But here’s the official Top 10 policy on this subject – if you lose your job or anything because you won’t get the vaccine, we won’t feel the least bit sorry for you. But then again is Florida and their douchebag governor Ron DeSantis who clearly isn’t helping the debate. And not only is he not helping, he’s actively taking us backwards! But make no mistake that the war on vaccine mandates is getting more and more intense every day and with people like Greg Abbott and Ron DeShithead in charge of handling the pandemic, you know things are actively going to get worse before they get better.

Florida’s governor has declared war on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination.

At a news conference in Clearwater, Gov. Ron DeSantis laid out a litany of legislative policy priorities that would undermine federal requirements that workers be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Among the laws DeSantis wants to see passed:

A proposal making businesses liable for any medical harm that results from a mandatory vaccination

An addendum to the 2021 law protecting businesses from coronavirus-related liability if those businesses mandate vaccination for their employees

A measure allowing parents to collect attorney’s fees if they win a lawsuit against a school district for enacting illegal coronavirus restrictions

A law making it clear that it’s illegal for governments to mandate the vaccine for government employees

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/10/21/desantis-plans-to-call-a-special-legislative-session-on-vaccine-mandates/

Can we just give these morons their own island to ruin that’s far, far away from civilized society? I am asking for about 81,000,000 friends here! But thanks to Facebook, we live in a world where bad is good, good is bad, vaccines are evil, and those who peddle vaccines are even evil-er. But these morons won’t be happy until they get their way, much like the spoiled kids you see screaming in Target every single day wanting a toy. And even then they’re putting children smack dab in the middle of their madness and it’s not going to stop.

It took a small town chiropractor named Charles Brown to help vaccinate millions of kids for decades to come — all because he didn’t want to vaccinate his own.

It was 1979 in Houston, Mississippi, and Brown needed to enroll his 6-year-old son in school. But state law required the boy to be vaccinated against certain diseases, and Brown didn’t want to vaccinate his son. At the time, Mississippi had two exceptions to this law: medical exemption, for kids who had a medical condition that prevented them from receiving certain shots, and a religious exemption, but only for religious groups whose doctrines explicitly prohibit vaccination, such as Christian Scientists. Brown’s son wasn’t eligible for either exemption. So Brown sued.

Brown argued that by limiting the exemption to only certain religious groups, the law violated his First Amendment rights and ought to be expanded to include any religion. (The Browns were Christian, but not a sect approved for a medical exemption.) The case made it to the state Supreme Court where it spectacularly backfired. Rather than expand the religious exemption, the justices argued that having the exemption at all was a violation of the 14th Amendment because it put the rights of certain religious parents over the rights of other parents. The state court struck down the exemption altogether.

With that decision, Mississippi became just the second state (after West Virginia) not to offer religious or personal belief exemptions to its child vaccination mandate. Mississippi now consistently has the country’s highest rates of vaccination among children entering school.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-fight-over-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-is-coming-to-kids-next/

Oh come on, even Batman is giving you the facepalm! But you know who should be getting the facepalm and in fact infinite facepalms? Really there aren’t enough for this. I mean seriously there’s medical workers who are quitting their jobs in droves because they are refusing to get the vaccine. It is totally insane what is happening and I really place all of this madness son Facebook. Really, Mark Zuckerberg dropped all of this craziness on us and it’s going to take a long time to deprogram these cult members.

The past several months have seen thousands of hospitals announce COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff and clinicians as a condition of employment.

Although controversial, the policies picked up steam when Pfizer and BioNTech’s Comirnaty received a full regulatory approval and then really kicked into gear when the Biden administration made workforce vaccination a requirement for Medicare and Medicaid participation.

Most health system leaders and professional organizations have been supportive of the requirement, with some describing vaccination as “the logical fulfillment of the ethical commitment of all healthcare workers to put patients as well as residents of long-term care facilities first.”

However, some executives and industry figures have warned that mandates might place provider organizations in a bind as disgruntled employees choose to walk away rather than comply.

“As a practical matter, this policy may result in exacerbating the severe workforce shortage problems that currently exist,” American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack said in a Sept. 9 statement.

Arkansas’ Community Hospital Executive Director James Magee said Sept. 22 that his 25-bed rural facility would not require COVID-19 vaccinations. He stressed that staffing issues and the fear of losing too many nurses were major factors in the decision.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/how-many-employees-have-hospitals-lost-to-vaccine-mandates-numbers-so-far

So go ahead post your stupid memes on Facebook and watch as the likes come in. But here’s the thing, anti-vaxxers and you need to realize this: YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT IS LITERALLY KILLING YOU! So you can hate Dr. Fauci all you want but he’s really trying to do the right thing. But the scary thing to watch out for is that even the airlines are walking back their plans to mandate vaccines because of these cretins. Yeah that’s a great way to spread disease and we’re about to find out just how many anti-vaxxers are willing to remove themselves from the gene pool because they were brainwashed by Facebook propaganda that much.

Covid-19 vaccine mandates are only as good as the people enforcing them. And it seems the executives running Southwest Airlines Co. and American Airlines Inc. could use more backbone. For inspiration, they can look to United Airlines Inc.’s managers, or to mayors, governors and college presidents around the country.

Last week, Southwest and American gamely pushed back against Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s effort to forbid companies headquartered in his state to impose mandates. Both airlines issued statements saying their first responsibility was to follow the Biden administration’s planned federal mandates. In the days since, however, the two Texas-based airlines have shown less gumption.

American originally told employees they would have to be vaccinated or lose their jobs, and eventually imposed a Nov. 24 deadline. It invited employees with religious, medical or disability claims to apply for an exemption. But American’s flight attendants’ union said management recently indicated that employees who have applied for exemptions can keep working — a concession that weakens the mandate. Southwest first told its employees they had to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 to keep their jobs unless they received an exemption. Employees who applied for exemptions would be placed on unpaid leave while applications were reviewed. But more recently, Southwest told employees that anyone seeking an exemption would not be placed on leave — and encouraged them to apply. I imagine that might persuade many Southwest employees who are opposed to vaccination to take that advice and dodge the mandate.

Maybe this shouldn’t be surprising. Gary Kelly, Southwest’s chief executive officer, told CNBC last week he wasn’t fully behind this public health stuff. “I’ve never been in favor of corporations imposing that kind of a mandate,” he said. “I’m not in favor of that, never have been.” But he had federal guidelines to follow, he allowed. “My goal obviously is that no one loses their job. The objective here obviously is to improve health and safety, not for people to lose their jobs.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-10-20/southwest-and-american-s-vaccine-mandates-won-t-work-unless-enforced

[font size="8"]Holy Shit: Meet Glenn Youngkin
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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! You know we live in strange times. A time where good is bad and bad is good, and a time when EVIL reigns supreme! And you know how I know this? I have been monitoring the elections and they are running some crazy candidates. And yes we are allowed to speak about politics here, for we have not broken any IRS 503(C) rules (see: Top 10 #7-5 ).! Yes, we like to maintain our tax exempt status around here. But for those that don’t, I have your ideal political candidate. Meet Glenn Youngkin, he’s running for governor of Virginia. Now wait a minute, I know the question you’re all asking is “Wait, I thought Virginia was for lovers! Why is it not?” and I answer you good sir or madam – it is. But its’ being taken over by extremists who don’t stand for the things that our good LAWRD JAYSUS stands for! Mr. Youngkin stands, much like the unholy Dark One, of everything that is soulless and wrong with this world! Such as:

Glenn Youngkin, the Republican nominee in this year’s gubernatorial race in Virginia, attended a so-called “election integrity” rally sponsored by the local Republican Party at Liberty University on Saturday. Other members of the GOP statewide ticket took a pass after news of the event drew public criticism. The Washington Post reported that the event was organized by Melvin Adams, “a supporter of former president Donald Trump who was outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.”

Youngkin, who has tried to position himself as a centrist moderate while accepting Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement, has passed up opportunities on the campaign trail to refute conspiracy theorists’ beliefs that Trump won the election and might be reinstated by the courts. Instead, he told a voter last week that “the courts move slowly.”

Youngkin has tried to have it both ways, putting “election integrity”—a term used to undergird false claims of voter fraud with promises of audited votes and new voting restrictions—at the center of his campaign while grudgingly acknowledging in May, once he secured the Republican nomination, that President Joe Biden holds office legitimately.

“Election integrity” is the misleading term adopted by promoters of Trump’s false “stolen election” claims, including activists in the so-called Stop the Steal movement who tried to keep Trump in power. Those claims, and the “election integrity” label, are being used to justify passage of new voter suppression laws around the country, and Youngkin has followed suit, pledging to impose more restrictive voter ID requirements in the state should he be elected.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/gop-candidate-for-virginia-governor-promotes-trumpist-propaganda-on-election-integrity-at-liberty-university/

Election integrity, shut up. And here I am risking my 503c status to report this shit! And by the way in case you’re wondering what his neo-Nazi credentials are, well, he’s got lots of them. He’s also got plenty of social media credentials at that. But of course if you’re falling on the side of the Dark One you might as well go all the way and appear on Sebastian Gorka’s show. Really if you go Nazi, you might as well go full Nazi, and you never ever go full Nazi, because that’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would have intended!

Republican candidate for governor Glenn Youngkin appeared on Sebastian Gorka’s “America First” radio show in a clip posted to Gorka’s website Monday night.

Gorka, a former Trump White House official turned Salem Broadcasting radio host, has a long history of Islamophobic comments, once saying that taking Muslim refugees into America would be a “national suicide.” A Nazi-linked Hungarian group—whose pin Gorka wore to Trump’s Inaugural Ball in 2017—says that he is one of their sworn members.

Gorka has been trying to get Youngkin to come on to his show in recent weeks, suggesting that Youngkin was a RINO—Republican in name only—and needed to convince his viewers otherwise.

Thanking Gorka for having him on his show, Youngkin launched into his pitch, vowing to “get critical race theory out of our schools” and to “invest in law enforcement instead of getting them defunded.” He began criticizing Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe before Gorka cut him off.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/glenn-youngkin-appears-on-podcast-of-neo-nazi-linked-sebastian-gorka/

But come on, Gorka calling someone reprehensible? That’s rich – these guys are truly, utterly despicable, and Youngkin secured the GOP nomination at that. So that’s where that party is headed, folks. To the side of the unholy, ungodly Dark One! And by the way, remember last time when we talked about the Pray Vote Stand festival? Well guess what? Mr. Youngkin was there, and he spoke on the things that your average Fox News loving neighbor is against! Imagine being proud of taking a stand on this, I won’t stand for it!

Virginia Republican candidate for governor Glenn Youngkin will speak Friday at a gathering of right-wing and far-right political activists hosted by the Family Research Council, which has been designated an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Youngkin, who spoke last Saturday at a gala hosted by the anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice Family Foundation, has been endorsed by FRC’s political affiliate.

FRC’s “Pray Vote Stand” summit—a rebranding of its annual Values Voter Summit—begins tonight and runs through Friday. Religious-right activists from across the country will gather at Cornerstone Chapel, a Northern Virginia church whose pastor promotes Christian nationalist themes and denounces the Democratic Party as evil and demonic. FRC President Tony Perkins and Alliance Defending Freedom President Mike Farris spoke at Cornerstone Chapel in February, where Farris bragged that “hundreds” of graduates of the group’s “Christian worldview training” have clerked for federal judges, and that two are now serving as federal appeals court judges while another three serve on state supreme courts. Farris is also scheduled to speak at “Pray Vote Stand.”

This week’s conference is meant to fire up and mobilize religious-right activists for more intense political engagement. Among the topics on this year’s schedule: voter suppression in the name of “election reform,” resisting “vaccine tyranny,” preparing for anti-abortion activism in a post-Roe v. Wade America, and fighting “wokeism,” “gender ideology” and “indoctrination” in public schools.

Speakers include E. W. Jackson, a right-wing pastor who calls the Democratic Party “the party of Satan,” says that “Black Lives Matter is worse than COVID,” and claims liberals would gladly kill Black conservatives if they had the courage.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/virginia-gop-gov-candidate-glenn-youngkin-public-officials-join-family-research-councils-far-right-festival/

Well no you haven’t. Now turn off Facebook and Fox News and say 40 holy rosaries until you are blue in the face! Because that’s how I punish the non-believers in my church! But like I said earlier, imagine being proud of taking the same stance as your creepy uncle on these subjects. Because Glenn is, even though every single one of his stances is wrong, wrong, wrong. But then again that’s what a steady diet of Fox News and Facebook propaganda gets you!

Republican Glenn Youngkin is continuing to rally anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ extremists in his bid to become Virginia’s next governor. Most Virginians support legal equality, including marriage equality, and most Virginians believe abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances, but Youngkin continues to seek and tout endorsements from groups that oppose LGBTQ equality and want to make abortion illegal. Youngkin has told activists that he will go “on offense” against reproductive choice once elected, and he has refused to say whether he supports marriage equality.

In a press release dated Oct. 8, Youngkin boasted about endorsements from the Family Research Council’s political arm, the Virginia Society for Human Life PAC, and longtime anti-abortion and anti-equality activist Penny Nance, head of Concerned Women for America.

FRC supports “total abortion bans” that criminalize abortion at all stages. The organization has been designated an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and has long promoted anti-Muslim bigotry. None of that kept Youngkin from agreeing to speak at FRC’s annual conference for religious-right activists earlier this month, where speakers delivered Christian nationalist and bigoted messages. Delivering his own speech, Youngkin urged the activists, “Lock arms with me!”

A Youngkin campaign press release touting the latest endorsements included a long quote from FRC’s Tony Perkins smearing the Democratic nominee as a threat to religious freedom and claiming that Youngkin “understands the values that are important to Virginians.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/glenn-youngkin-brags-about-support-from-advocates-of-total-abortion-bans-opponents-of-lgbtq-equality/

Agreed, Fluffy! You need JAYSUS, not hate and bigotry and that’s what Glenn Youngkin brings to the table, and it’s ridiculous where that party is heading. I need a drink after this one! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Beating A Dead Horse: Raiders E-mail controversy
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Look, I’m not going to lie, I love Las Vegas. I love going to Vegas. I was in Las Vegas the day the lockdowns began. But I am happy to see the city returning and they are finally getting professional sports by the way of the Knights and the Raiders. I definitely hope to visit the new Raiders stadium at some point. But here’s the thing, I have been following the controversy surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders and coach Jon Grunden for quite a while now and it’s the stuff of batshit insanity. I mean should you get in trouble for things you said 10 years ago? Well I would certainly hope not as we’d probably be out of a job! Though we don’t say things like that. And here’s the thing, Fox, and Fox News trolls – if you don’t want to be “canceled” in today’s society, maybe, I am just spitballing here – don’t say things that will get you canceled! But here’s the thing too – if you read past the headlines as we so often suggest here, the other thing you shouldn’t do is insult your boss when he could be reading the very thing that you wrote! Yes, football coaches have bosses too!

Jon Gruden came under fire this week for a comment he made about NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith in a 2011 email to then-Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen.

Gruden used an apparent racist stereotype to describe Smith, saying "Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin (sic) tires." He has since tried to distance himself from those emails, explaining that he uses the term "rubber lips" to call someone a liar. He also said Smith wasn't the only one he insulted in those communications.

"I was in a bad frame of mind at the time (in 2011), and I called Roger Goodell a (expletive) in one of these emails too," Gruden told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Friday night.

Neither Gruden nor league officials clarified what the Raiders coach called Goodell in the email. Gruden did, however, explain that the NFL lockout was troubling him at the time of his insensitive comments.
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/jon-gruden-emails-raiders-coach-roger-goodell/1bkzhjnz6wsf11agbjdo5hroxd

Oh fuck off! Look here’s the thing – we’ve all had bad days and we’ve all needed to unload our frustrations at management. You know where you don’t do that? In corporate e-mails! Because chances are good that your boss will be reading them. See us regular folks have this place called “the bar” where we go unload our frustrations at management. Usually involves a few beers. But as you get through this controversy, it gets weirder!

Just minutes after the Raiders had responded to a tumultuous week with a resounding 34-24 victory over the Broncos, Raiders owner Mark Davis made clear to the Review-Journal where he stood on the insensitive emails from Jon Gruden that led the coach to resign.

“Listen,” Davis said outside the Raiders’ locker room in relation to Gruden’s emails, “the Raiders stand for diversity, inclusion and social justice. We always have and we always will. The emails that came out are not what we stand for. So Jon Gruden is no longer head coach of the Raiders.

“There’s not much more I can say. All the talking heads are making up all sorts of stuff. That’s all it is. We don’t stand for it.”

The Raiders under interim coach Rich Bisaccia rolled up 426 yards against Denver on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High, including 341 passing from quarterback Derek Carr.

“It was one of the best games I have seen us play in a long time,” Davis said. “I thought it was fantastic. All three phases of the game. My emotions are that I’m excited that we looked good and are moving towards the future.”
https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders/grudens-emails-not-what-raiders-stand-for-mark-davis-says-2461670/

Oh come on, Mike! That’s what talking heads do – they make stuff up! That’s what they get paid to do – spin the news! Wait, that’s what we get paid to do! Well not really since we do have whatever our budget allows. But how do the Raiders staff and players feel about this one? Was he as toxic as his 10 year old e-mails believe? Well here’s where he plays the “I’m not a racist card”. And be honest, you all knew that was coming!

Jon Gruden again said he is not a racist after his Las Vegas Raiders lost their first game since the revelation of the head coach’s 2011 racial remark about players’ union leader DeMaurice Smith.

Gruden apologized for his “insensitive remarks” when asked about the decade-old emails following the Raiders’ 20-9 loss to the Chicago Bears. A Wall Street Journal story last week noted that Gruden, then working for ESPN, referred in a racist way to Smith’s facial features in an email.

“I’m not a racist,” Gruden said. “I can’t tell you how sick I am. I apologize again to D Smith, but I feel good about who I am and what I’ve done my entire life. … I had no racial intention with those remarks at all. I’m not like that at all. I apologize. I don’t want to keep addressing it.”

Gruden ended his news conference after a series of questions about the emails and his behavior. He said he has not been contacted by the NFL about the remark, but “we’ll see what happens here in the next few days.”
https://ktla.com/sports/raiders-coach-jon-gruden-apologizes-says-hes-not-a-racist-in-wake-of-email-controversy/

But that said we go back to our original question here – should e-mails from 10 years ago get you in trouble today? And also – how the hell does one go about finding this stuff? Well if you think having an abusive boss at the Raiders is bad, wait until you see what’s happening with the Washington Football Team! But do we really need to take this fight to Congress? Well it will be interesting to see what happens when this comes to fruition!

A Congressional committee is seeking documents and information from the NFL regarding the investigation into the Washington Football Team and how the league handled it.

The discussion includes the emails that led to the resignation of Raiders coach Jon Gruden.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform said Thursday it sent a letter to commissioner Roger Goodell requesting by Nov. 4 all documents and communication about the probe into the workplace culture at the Washington Football Team.

“We have serious concerns about what appears to be widespread abusive workplace conduct at the WFT and about the NFL’s handling of this matter,” U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, wrote in the letter to the commissioner.

“Communications between league management and WFT leadership also raise questions about the league’s asserted impartiality in these investigations.”
https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders/congress-seeks-emails-from-gruden-nfl-investigation-2463996/

[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy: Travis Tritt and Jason Aldean
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This week’s This Fucking Guy - we have a BOGO deal for you! That’s right – we have a 2 for one deal with this week’s entry. Look I love music and I am not going to lie that I love all different kinds of music. But one genre I don’t really delve into much is the country music genre. And we’ve also been covering a lot of anti-vaxxers in the news this week. So to me it was no surprise that on the ven diagram – this fucking guy, Travis Tritt, is both country music *AND* a fervent anti-vaxxer. But then there’s also this fucking guy, Jason Aldean. Don’t worry, we’ll get to him in a minute. See look here’s the thing, there’s a reason why vaccine mandates exist and I will spell it out for you: THIS VIRUS IS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS! And if you’re in an area where there’s a lot of people who are not protected against this virus, it’s going to spread and spread fast. But that doesn’t matter to a guy like Travis Tritt, who’s being praised by the likes of Tucker Carlson (shocker) for his anti-vaccine stance. Sigh this is why we can’t have nice things.

Travis Tritt announced that he was cancelling all upcoming shows at venues that had any COVID-19 restrictions in place, knocking out several performances. The announcement came Monday, with impacted shows called off in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Illinois, and Kentucky.

Whereas some artists have opted against performing at venues that don’t require mandatory vaccination and others opting against performing at venues that do, Tritt is calling off shows that have any mitigation efforts in place at all, including mask-wearing or providing a negative test in lieu of being fully vaccinated.

“I’m putting my money where my mouth is and announcing that any venue or promoter mandating masks, requiring vaccinations, or pushing COVID testing protocols on my fans will not be tolerated,” Tritt said in a statement.

“This is a sacrifice that I’m willing to make to stand up for the freedoms that generations of Americans have enjoyed for their entire lifetimes.”
https://www.ticketnews.com/2021/10/travis-tritt-cancels-shows-citing-freedom-from-covid-mandates/

So I guess that means you won’t be playing at any of them? Or maybe you’re confining yourself to Florida because I guess anything goes down there? But that said, what kind of message are they trying to send at the MLB playoffs? I mean it’s insane that after all the controversy surrounding this fucking guy that the Atlanta Braves actually invited him to sing the National Anthem at game 6 of the NLCS. So I guess that MLB is OK with killing a large portion of its’ customer base then?

The Atlanta Braves have picked country singer Travis Tritt to sing the national anthem to open Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tritt made the announcement on Twitter.

Tritt, a Georgia native, has been very outspoken about his opposition to vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 safety measure. Earlier this week Tritt announced that he's canceling concerts in four states due to their required COVID-19 safety measures. Venues in Mississippi, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana require concertgoers to wear masks, show proof of vaccination, or proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

In an interview with Billboard, Tritt said that he decided to cancel the shows due to the negative comments he received after performing in venues with COVID requirements. In August, he released a statement that said vaccine mandates were "discriminating" against people who choose to remain unvaccinated. He implied that vaccine mandates are akin to “the squelching of any specific freedoms and basic human rights around the world.”

If Tritt had for some reason been chosen to sing the national anthem at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, he might have said no since Los Angeles County requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter large venues. Georgia's Cobb County has no such requirements.
https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-nlcs-braves-travis-tritt-who-opposes-covid-19-safety-measures-sing-national-anthem-game-6-210223958.html

Yeah outlaw country!!! WOOOOOOOO!!! But there’s a reason why I don’t dabble in country music and it’s not just Travis Tritt. There’s this fucking guy, Jason Aldean. Who you might remember as being the performer during the worst mass shooting in America (see: Top 10 #3-16 ). But he’s in the news lately because he’s finally letting his politics be known. And guess what? He is not on our side. That’s right – he’s gone hard MAGA and he’s not coming back any time soon. Guess that’s what happens on a steady diet of Facebook and Fox News!

After Jason Aldean’s wife Brittany received backlash for posting photos of her kids wearing anti-President Biden T-shirts, the country star took to Instagram to defend his family and his beliefs.

“I will never apologize for my beliefs or my love for my family and country,” Aldean wrote Thursday alongside a photo of his silhouette in front of an American flag. “This is the greatest country in the world and I want to keep it that way. #unapologetic #phoenixwasfire”

The singer’s statement comes after Brittany Aldean posted a photo wearing a shirt that reads “Anti Biden Social Club,” while another picture showed the couple’s children, 4-year-old son Memphis and 2-year-old daughter Navy, wearing black shirts emblazoned with the message “Hidin’ From Biden.” Though Aldean himself was not pictured wearing anti-Biden clothing in the photos, he did comment on a photo of his son wearing one of the shirts, writing, “My boy!”

When one Instagram user accused Brittany of using the couple’s children as “political props,” Aldean also defended his family. According to The Washington Post, Aldean commented, saying, “Watch ur mouth lady! We will teach our kids what we think is right and what we think is best for their future. If you think what is happening right now is ‘great’ for the future of our kids and grandkids, u are delusional!” When a commenter stated, “If you thought Trump’s path for America was any better, you’re delusional!,” to which Aldean responded, “Definitely better than what we got now! Please tell me one thing that the current administration has done that is positive? Just 1!!!”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/jason-aldean-reacts-to-backlash-over-wife-s-anti-biden-post-i-will-never-apologize-for-my-beliefs/ar-AAP3hyv?ocid=msedgntp

Sigh……………… why is it that when someone who you previously didn’t know their political stance suddenly comes out as a hardcore MAGA? Were they couped up with a computer monitor and their eyes taped up looking at propaganda memes and watching Alex Jones like they were being tortured? Or is it something else? But this is certifiably nuts. And not only that, teaching your children to hate too. I just can’t even with these people anymore. Yes you’re allowed to have an opinion and we’re also allowed to be ashamed of that opinion. That’s how free speech works!

Brittany, who has 2 million followers, received nearly 400,000 comments – some positive, but some negative.

In another post, she shared a shot of her son, holding up two thumbs while wearing the "Hidin' from Biden" shirt. "My boy!" her husband commented.

Alden later took to his own Instagram to share about his beliefs. "I will never apologize for my beliefs or my love for my family and country. This is the greatest country in the world and I want to keep it that way. #unapologetic 🇺🇸 #phoenixwasfire," Aldean wrote in a Thursday night post with a photo of himself silhouetted in front of an American flag.

The singer was in one of the photos his wife posted, but he was not wearing an anti-Biden shirt.

On her Instagram stories Thursday, Brittany Aldean also re-shared a TikTok video that praised her for being openly conservative. "Conservatives, it's okay to speak up. Some people won't like you, but most will," she wrote. "You're allowed to have an opinion too."

She also shared that she was invited to the Turning Point USA offices in Phoenix. The organization, founded by Charlie Kirk, is a conservative group with chapters at many U.S. colleges. Southern Poverty Law Center has warned of Turning Point USA's "blooming romance with the alt-right" and its connection to racists.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jason-aldean-brittany-anti-biden-post/

So yeah combine hardcore anti-vaxxerism and hardcore MAGA beliefs and you’ve got Travis Tritt and Jason Aldean. Maybe they can combine for the Diseased Lunatic tour. That’s this week’s:

[font size="8"]People Are Dumb
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Hit it!

Of course you know by now that people are people, and people are dumb. Folks look I have been getting a lot of COVID related requests for stories. But that’s not really the whole point of this segment. Again we don’t really make fun of death here, we prefer the people in these stories to still be alive. If you want to post those stories, I direct you to r/HermanCainAwards, r/qanoncasulaties, and r/covidatemyface. We endorse those forums here, so if you want to go air your grievances, that is a good place to start. Now here's a COVID story that is just plain fucking dumb. Look we’re a small business and we got affected by COVID because we couldn’t tour for a year and a half. But if you’re a small business and you get that money, you know what you should spend it on? The fucking business! You know what you shouldn’t spend that money on? $60,000 Pokemon cards! And I mean come on, $60,000 for a Pokemon card is quite literally insane.

Federal prosecutors said a Georgia man used a COVID-19 relief loan to purchase a Pokemon card worth more than $57,000, according to The Associated Press.

Authorities arrested and charged Vinath Oudomsine of Dublin, Georgia Tuesday on one count of wire fraud, The Telegraph reported.

Court records indicated that the man lied on his Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application about the number of people his business employed and his company’s gross revenue, according to the Telegraph.

Oudomsine received $85,000 in August 2020, using the money to buy the Pokemon card for $57,789, according to AP.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/578224-georgia-man-used-covid-loan-to-purchase-57000-pokemon-card-prosecutors

Yeah I know nothing about Pokemon, that was definitely after my time as a kid. So I still don’t get why a card would fetch $60,000. You know what? Let us know in the comments. Next up – we go to Colorado for this one. Look, the Sopranos was a great show. But Tony Soprano is not a guy who you should imitate in real life. And this story has everything – these guys stole cars, jewelry, you name it. And then they got caught. You know how? They livestreamed the crimes they committed. You really can’t get much stupider than that, folks!

A strung-out group of small-time Colorado criminals that called themselves “the Sopranos” — including one who has “Styles Sopranos” and a Nike logo tattooed on his forehead — are singing the blues after being busted for a series of petty crimes to support their narcotic habits.

A Denver grand jury indicted 11 people for a laundry list of thefts committed to keep themselves flush with fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, prosecutors said.

The two-bit syndicate, consisting of men and women ranging from ages 21 to 42, allegedly stole $950,000 worth of cars, weapons, tools and other items, officials said in a Friday press release.

The family would use teamwork to break into and hotwire Kias and Hyundais, deploying lookouts and getaway drivers who put stolen license plates on the hot cars, according to the release.

They would then use credit cards found in the stolen cars to buy gift cards and property that could be easily sold for cash, officials claim.

“On some occasions they are accused of livestreaming their crimes while in progress over Facebook as other enterprise members offered real-time encouragement,” District Attorney Beth McCann wrote.
https://nypost.com/2021/10/09/colorado-sopranos-stole-to-support-drug-habits-feds/amp/

Wow, even Tony Soprano is giving the Facepalm on this one! RIP James Gandolfini, BTW. We at the Top 10 home offices in Santa Ana, CA occasionally like to check with the Sunshine State, or as Homer Simpson famously called it, “America’s Wang”. You know what is it with Florida and people who throw things at each other? I feel like this is a common occurrence in Florida because we’ve been doing these stories forever and will probably continue to do so.

A Florida man appearing for arraignment ended up behind bars again Tuesday (October 19) after "violating the letter of law," as the Smoking Gun puts it.

Authorities in Indian River County arrested 26-year-old Jordan Thomas for allegedly battering a woman at a courthouse, but what he used was the bizarre part. An arrest report claims Thomas took "a signage letter from the blackboard in front of Court Room 3" and threw it at Shanterria Rolle, a 23-year-old Vero Beach resident. The letter "G" ended up hitting the victim, cops say.

Thomas, an Amazon driver, was being arraigned for a misdemeanor charge of battery, reporters say. He was accused of attacking Rolle in September, authorities confirmed. Officials say they caught the chaos on video while they were in recess.

The 26-year-old is being held without bond in county jail. He faces charges of battery and violating the terms of his pretrial release in the prior case (which included a condition that he have no contact with Rolle).
https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-10-22-florida-man-arrested-after-throwing-a-g-at-woman/

Next up – in a case of life imitating art, remember that 30 Rock scene where Tracy Jordan is whacked out of his mind wielding a Light Saber on the 405 in LA? Yeah it’s kind of like that, except that the person in question is nowhere near as famous as Tracy Jordan, but really this is pretty spectacular. Although where does one buy an actual sword if there’s no Medieval Times around? I have so many questions about this one!

Authorities say when they arrived to four-feet high flames in a Brevard County roadway, they found a man holding a sword and drinking alcohol.

Deputies say they were on active patrol when they spotted the flames on Craig Avenue in Titusville around 2:12 a.m. on Thursday.

According to police, the fire was in front of a man’s home who they visited around five times in the past six months for illegal burns. Officials say the fires ranged from being on the sidewalk, to taking up the entire street.

Officials say when they went to speak with suspect Scott Taylor he was sitting in his front yard holding a sword in his hand and had a knife in his waistband. Police say he was also actively drinking in front of them then began chugging from a half-gallon-sized Captain Morgan spiced rum. ..............(more)

https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/florida-man-wielding-sword-sets-fire-in-roadway-floods-booking-office-after-arrest/

Finally this week – this is a story that shockingly is not in Florida! This story comes to us from Florida’s neighbors to the north in Maine. Look we’ve all made up excuses to get out of work. I’ve been there, you’ve been there. We’ve all been there. But you know what I would never do? Call in a bomb threat to my place of employment. Yeah you can do whatever you want to get out of work, but just… don’t do anything that would get you arrested, OK?

PITTSFIELD — An Etna woman who wanted to spend more time with her boyfriend was arrested after she directed two separate bomb threats at Puritan Medical Products where he worked, forcing evacuations and disrupting manufacturing operations, police and company officials said Friday.

Pittsfield police Chief Harold “Pete” Bickmore said the first threat was made around 9 a.m. Thursday when a woman called Maine State Police and said she was going to place a bomb at the Puritan plant at 129 North Main St. The same woman in a second call two hours later said she intended to place four pipe bombs near the plant, Bickmore said.

State Police notified Pittsfield police and the sheriff’s offices in both Somerset and Penobscot counties, and then traced the call to Etna, Bickmore said. Penobscot deputies found the woman after interviewing people in an Etna neighborhood. The deputies secured a confession from the woman, who said there were no bombs, according to Bickmore.

She was identified by authorities as 33-year-old Kayla Blake. She was charged with a felony count of terrorizing and taken to the Somerset County Jail. Her bail was set at $1,500 and she was ordered to stay away from Puritan property and not contact the company.
https://www.pressherald.com/2021/09/24/woman-arrested-after-bomb-threats-force-evacuation-of-pittsfield-company-police-say/

That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Red State Diaries
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Welcome back to our ongoing analysis of what the MAGA crowd is up to post election in our segment Red State Diaries! Ooh that was some good reverb. You know we here at the Top 10 love to debunk the nonsense coming from the right. And that especially includes some of their social media trends that we see on their sites. Yes, we do monitor Gab, Parler, and GETTR, and we will be adding Truth Social to the mix when that launches. There’s so much of this shit that it’s literally getting impossible to keep up with and it’s reaching ridiculous and absurd proportions. Their latest meme is no exception and it might be one of the lamest memes that they’ve ever come up with. So the backstory of this meme happened at the NASCAR championship race where driver Brandon Brown won the race and was being interviewed about his victory afterward. Some in the crowd started chanting “f--- Joe Biden” and the interviewer said “Hey! It sounds like they’re chanting “Let’s Go Brandon”. Can we show that clip?

Yeah so that happened! Now how did this whole thing become a viral MAGA sensation? Well we got to start at the top.

Donald Trump Jr. has been revelling in the Washington Post newspaper issuing a correction about chants the crowd were making during one of his speeches in Georgia.

A Washington Post article that was published on October 23, entitled "Biden's critics hurl increasingly vulgar taunts," incorrectly said that the crowd was singing: "Let's go Brandon" instead of "F*** Joe Biden!" at a Trump Jr. speech in September.

At the rally, Trump Jr. took the stage after the crowd had been chanting "USA! USA!"

"There's a couple other chants I've been hearing going around," he said. "Have you heard the other one that's been going around?" The crowd then shouted of "F*** Joe Biden!"

A correction was issued at the bottom of the article. It read: "Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said a crowd broke into a "Let's go Brandon" chant during a Donald Trump Jr. speech in Georgia. The crowd broke into a "F*** Joe Biden!" chant at that speech in September. The error, which was inserted by an editor, has been corrected."
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-jr-gets-washington-post-correction-over-lets-go-brandon-chant-1642139

God I love that movie! But that’s honestly not really that far off from this one! But this is what passes for conservative comedy these days. That and that horrible Gutfeld! show on Fox News. It’s not that conservatives aren’t funny, it’s that what passes for conservative humor is very mean spirited and generally attacks the person or people and not the subject matter. Of course there’s merchandise involved and don’t think for a minute that Trump isn’t profiting off of this.

Former President Donald Trump has capitalised on the “Let’s go Brandon” bandwagon by releasing limited edition merchandise to his ‘Save America’ page – as anti-Biden chants continued over the weekend.

Mr Trump’s website showed his team have released “extremely limited” t-shirts which will be given to anyone who contributes $45 (USD) or more to the Save America Joint Fundraising Committee.

He has also released a t-shirt that reads #FJB.

The phrase ‘Let’s go Brandon’ has become popular at crowded events like football games after a video went viral a few weeks ago of race car driver Brandon Brown.

He was being interviewed post-win when the reporter misunderstood the crowd chanting ‘Let’s go Brandon’ when they were actually chanting anti-Biden slurs.
https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/trump-releases-lets-go-brandon-merchandise-as-antibiden-chanting-continues/video/579371c20c8227f5a043594ece2b515d

Yeah merchandising! Merchandising! That’s where the real money from the meme is made. I mean come on how else do you explain that “#IMOMSOHARD” show? You can’t! It’s even more absurd that this has spawned a multitude of rap songs on Spotify and iTunes about this very subject. Hell this meme has even made an appearance in Congress. Seriously it’s the catch phrase du jour among these people and their idiocy and childishness is really starting to show on this one. But not like it hasn’t multiple times already!

A Florida man faces a $50 daily fine for displaying a banner outside his home proclaiming "Trump Won," a reference to Republican former President Donald Trump.

Walton County, Florida, will charge part-time resident Marvin Peavy $50 a day starting October 25 if he doesn't remove the "Trump Won" banner from outside of his home.

Peavy said he plans to also put up a banner that says "Let's Go Brandon," a phrase that conservatives have conflated with "F*ck you, Biden," an insult referencing Democratic President Joe Biden.

County officials said Peavy's banner violates signage regulations for the 30A scenic corridor, where Peavy's home resides. The corridor is part of a beachside route known for its natural beauty.
https://www.newsweek.com/florida-man-pays-50-daily-fine-hang-trump-won-banner-plans-lets-go-brandon-sign-1641873

Don’t do it, Brandon! don’t you go stick that knife in your leg! And I mean of course Florida Man had to be involved. You know he’s got that song on repeat in his creepy panel van covered with MAGA and Trump bumper stickers! See? It’s all about the merchandising! I’m in the wrong business, man! Oh and by the way we have plenty of Top 10 merchandise for y’all for sale in the lobby! But this crap is even creeping its’ way to the halls of Congress! I just can’t even… so childish and stupid.

South Carolina Republican Jeff Duncan is making headlines for a face mask worn this week on the floor of the House of Representatives — and emblazoned with "let's go Brandon," a seemingly benign phrase that serves as coded reference to profane criticism of President Joe Biden.

The backstory is a bit convoluted, but the phrase is basically a stand-in for "f--- Joe Biden," a chant that has become increasingly popular among conservatives who see the president as political vulnerable in the wake of the end of the Afghanistan war and as he continues trying to pass his domestic agenda through Congress.

A spokesperson for Rep. Duncan, who has been in office since 2011, did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. His selection of the mask comes just days after fellow Republican Rep. Bill Posey ended a speech on the House floor by saying, "Let's go, Brandon!"

The phrase, as detailed by Slate, is rooted in a remark made by an NBC Sports reporter while interviewing NASCAR driver Brandon Brown following his win at the Talladega Superspeedway
https://people.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-wears-lets-go-brandon-mask-on-the-house-floor/

[font size="4"]And Now This: [/font]
[font size="4"]Phish [/font]

Folks, we are very privileged to have my next musical guest – they are playing not one, not two, not three, but four sold out Halloween shows at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and our crappy little show for some reason! They are touring in support of their new album “Sigma Oasis”. Playing their song “Everything’s Right”, give it up for Phish!

Thank you Sacramento and thank you for joining us for our annual Halloween Spooktacular!! We are off to Chicago next with live music from the Dropkick Murphys! See you next week!

Credits

Host: Initech
Phish Appear Courtesy Of: Phish, Inc.
Rob Zombie appears courtesy of: Nuclear Blast Records
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Videos: All videos copyright belongs to respective copyright holders
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Writing: Top 10 Writing Department
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Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo

October 25, 2021

Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons Episode 2: Religion... TO THE EXTREME!!!

Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons Episode 2: Religion… TO THE EXTREME!!!

Hi folks, OK we are not good. We had this taped and ready to go, yet forgot to air it. So here it is a day late and yes, a dollar short! I guess that's what happens when you try to get a new series off the ground. But that said, the people responsible for this have been sacked. And the people responsible for sacking the people who need to be sacked, have been sacked.

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! I hope y’all are doing well and I hope that you have a copy of our Good Book opened because we are going to explore followers of the good LAWRD JAYSUS and how far their beliefs can take them this week. This is episode 2 of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons! I hope you enjoyed last week’s feature as much as we did. We hit a bit of a snag though as the Top 10 was canceled this week but that won’t stop us from airing episode 2. This week’s theme for this episode is called “Religion… TO THE EXTREME!!!” and we are going to explore just how far religious beliefs can go. The first we are going to examine how far religion can go in a group context with the Pray Vote Stand festival. And believe me they say some crazy shit there! And yes, we are allowed to swear in my church! So go ahead, let it fly my fair brothers and sisters! Then we are going to explore how far one man can take his beliefs in the form of North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. Because this guy says a lot of batshit crazy stuff and we wonder where it is all coming from? And also if he believes it or not? And of course finally we will answer your prayers from the Holy Shit Hotline To Heaven! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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My fair congregation! We of course love to check in from time to time what our brothers and sisters on the right are up to. And last weekend was no exception. For it was one of their annual festivals. Last week was one such gathering called the “Pray Vote Stand Festival” which was formerly known as the Values Voters Summit. And we went to Pray Vote Stand Festival to bring you some of the juiciest highlights, because that’s what we get to do now that we have our very own spinoff show! So what did we find at the Pray Vote Stand Festival? Well it’s basically the same crap with a new hat. And in fact it really shows just how far right wing religion can and has been circling the drain. Because what these people want is certainly *NOT* what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would have had in mind now is it? Well now let’s start with what’s behind door number one shall we?

Former Rep. Michele Bachmann was among those who spoke during the first session of the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand” conference Wednesday night. Following her remarks, Bachmann was interviewed backstage on Facebook Live by FRC’s Marjorie Jackson, who asked Bachmann what sort of battles she foresees for the nation in the years ahead.

Bachmann, who is currently dean of the school of government at Pat Robertson’s Regent University, responded by declaring that the United States’ government has been overthrown in a fascist coup, claiming that we are now living in the “absolute worst times” in this nation’s history.

“It’s tough to get much more draconian than we are right now,” Bachmann said. “Quite literally, the government has turned to fascism. That’s what we’re in. I believe we’re in a coup right now—which is an illegal hostile takeover of government—and I believe that that’s what we’re in the middle of.”

“When you have government forcing private businesses to fire people because the people aren’t complying with what government says, then you’re denying people the right to earn a living,” she continued. “In the book of Ecclesiastes, it says when you deny someone the right to their living, it’s the same as murder, and so our government is engaging in probably some of the most horrific actions we have ever seen. If you take all the bad actions of government throughout the entire history of the United States and you put them all together, they pale in comparison to what we’re seeing now. This is a very unique time, so people shouldn’t think they’re crazy when they’re looking at current events and wondering what’s going on. This really is the absolute worst times.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/michele-bachmann-says-we-are-living-in-the-absolute-worst-times-in-american-history/

I’m not sure you have that interpreted correctly there. So what is so bad about having to get a shot in the arm so you don’t die of a deadly virus? Just the sheer insanity of these lunatics knows no boundaries, and neither does their hatred of the government. But really if it’s that hard to get a simple little vaccine then I don’t really have a lot of sympathy for your complaints! Now let’s see what’s behind door number 2, shall we?

Organizers of the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand” conference for religious-right activists invited Kenneth Blackwell, who actively promoted former President Donald Trump’s false stolen-election claims after the 2020 election, to discuss “election reform.” Blackwell praised states that have passed restrictive voting laws this year while condemning federal voting rights legislation pending in Congress.

FRC Action Vice President Brent Keilen interviewed Blackwell on stage, framing the topic of conversation as “election integrity,” the right-wing buzzword favored by so-called Stop the Steal activists and Republican legislators who use false claims of voter fraud to justify passing more restrictive voting laws. Blackwell urged activists to demand that every state impose photo ID requirements for voters, and he called for dramatic restrictions on early voting.

After the 2020 election, Blackwell aggressively promoted Trump’s false claims that he won the election. Blackwell signed a Dec. 10 open letter from right-wing leaders that declared, “There is no doubt President Donald J. Trump is the lawful winner of the presidential election. Joe Biden is not president elect.” The letter called on legislatures in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Michigan to override the election results and appoint pro-Trump electors.

Blackwell signed another open letter at the end of December, urging Senate Republicans to contest the electoral votes from five battleground states won by Biden. FRC President Tony Perkins also signed both letters.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/stop-the-steal-activist-ken-blackwell-backs-state-voter-suppression-slams-federal-voting-rights-legislation-at-religious-right-activist-conference/

Of course they are, Reverend! That’s what this entire festival is for! But imagine what it takes to not only stand up at a podium and say something this batshit insane, but to also believe it! I mean I really wonder how these people sleep at night, like if they think what they are doing really suits the LAWRD JAYSUS? I mean they support a man so foul that his name dare not be spoken in my church! But next up – did you know that Marxism is apparently the mark of the beast? Well neither did we!

E.W. Jackson, a right-wing pastor who was the Republican Party’s nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor in 2013, told religious-right activists at the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand” conference Thursday that Marxism, socialism, “transgenderism,” homosexuality, and abortion are works of the devil, and that “God wants to intervene in the rotten here and now and bring us out of this mess that we are in.”

Jackson, whose radio show is broadcast on the American Family Association’s radio network, told attendees that “the problem that we have in America is ultimately not political and ultimately not cultural. It is spiritual.”

The United States, he said, is a “providential” nation and “a gift from Almighty God”:

Patriotism comes from the word “pater,” meaning love of or honor of the father. And it’s not just about our Founding Fathers; it’s about the Father God who gave us this nation. And if you really believe that this nation is the gift that God gave to you, to your children, and to your grandchildren, then you ought to be willing to say, “I’m not going to let some bunch of Marxists and socialists and communists take this nation away and rob my posterity of the great gift that God has given us.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/e-w-jackson-tells-religious-right-activists-they-will-defeat-marxism-homosexuality-and-other-works-of-the-devil/

That is a good question because I don’t know either! And what makes these people think they are fighting for good when really what they stand for is everything that the good LAWRD JAYSUS doesn’t stand for? Jesus stood to love your fellow man, not think that everything contains the mark of the beast, now does he? And the only thing on earth that I can think of that accurately contains the mark of the beast is the Iron Maiden album The Number Of The Beast. But that’s about it! Last but not least we have George Barna who says that Christians must indoctrinate other people’s children into a Biblical world view, because that sort of thing always works out well doesn’t it?

While right-wing groups are mobilizing angry mobs to yell at school board members that parents have the right to control what their children are taught, evangelical pollster George Barna told religious-right activists at the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand” summit Thursday that it is their duty to try to indoctrinate other people’s children into a “biblical worldview.”

Barna, one of the first senior fellows at FRC’s recently established Center for Biblical Worldview, specializes in studying what he calls “SAGE Cons”—Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians. What is most striking about FRC and Barna’s “worldview” project is how few people—and how few conservative evangelicals—measure up to their right-wing “biblical worldview” standard.

When the Center for Biblical Worldview launched in May, FRC President Tony Perkins said that a biblical worldview “is only achieved when a person believes that the Bible is true, authoritative, and then taught how it is applicable to every area of life, which enables them to live out those beliefs.”

Barna told “Pray Vote Stand” attendees that only 6 percent of American adults measure up to that standard of a biblical worldview—and only one out of five people who attend an evangelical church.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-christians-must-indoctrinate-other-peoples-children-into-a-biblical-worldview-says-frcs-george-barna/

[font size="8"]Mark Robinson
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My fair congregation! In the world of extreme religion, one can never be too extreme. And if you want a preview of what America would look like under a religious fascist totalitarian regime, look no further than the great state of North Carolina. There, there is a man who has got a lot of very unwanted attention because of his Christian extremism. And before we go any further, I just want to preface – look, we make fun of Christianity a lot on this program. But we make fun of all religions on this program, and if it feels like we single out Christianity, it’s because Christian nationalists deserve every bit of shit that we throw at them. And don’t think you will get off lightly, Madison Cawthorn, you’re next! Anyway now that I got that off my chest, I want to introduce you to Mark Robinson. So what kind of man is Mark Robinson? Now well I will let you know what kind of man he is with just one story. For he is a bigot of the highest caliber. That’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now, is it?

North Carolina’s Christian nationalist Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is under fire after Right Wing Watch posted a clip of him speaking Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove, North Carolina, ranting that Christians must take control of public schools because children are being abused by being taught “filth.”

“There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” Robinson said during his remarks in June.

In August, Robinson spoke at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, North Carolina, a church that is run by Bishop Patrick Wooden, a vehemently anti-gay right-wing pastor who once claimed that gay men have to wear diapers because they routinely insert cellphones, baseball bats, and animals into their anuses.

Not surprisingly, Robinson felt so at home in Wooden’s church that he spent nearly five minutes ranting that the transgender rights movement is “demonic” and “full of the Antichrist spirit.”

“Here’s something else I’m not supposed to say: Ain’t but two genders,” Robinson declared. “You can go to the doctor and get cut up, you can go down to the dress shop and get made up, you can go down there and get drugged up, but at the end of the day, you are just a drugged-up, dressed-up, made-up, cut-up man or woman. You ain’t changed what God put in you, that DNA. You can’t transcend God’s creation; I don’t care how hard you try. The transgender movement in this country—if there’s a movement in this country that is demonic and that is full of the spirit of Antichrist, it is the transgender movement.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/nc-lt-gov-mark-robinson-says-transgender-rights-movement-is-demonic-and-full-of-the-antichrist-spirit/

Now that devil is the one standing at the podium in this case! Now you’d think this was an isolated incident, now wouldn’t you? But no! In fact it’s part of a pattern of bigotry and in fact. Mr. Robinson is part of a growing movement of Christian nationalists, like Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin, who don’t worry, we will get to next week! And what is the right wing obsession with drag queens? They are obsessed with this stuff. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a few mini skirts in their closet. But this is what happens when you put Christian nationalism on full display!

North Carolina’s Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson was among members of Congress, state legislators, various candidates for office, and radical religious-right activists who gathered at Temple Baptist Church in Mount Airy, North Carolina, last weekend for the North Carolina Faith & Freedom Coalition’s “Salt & Light Conference.”

Robinson, who closed out the event on Saturday, is a regular participant in “pastor gatherings” organized by the American Renewal Project, an organization run by Christian nationalist political operative David Lane. As Lane recently explained, “the aim and purpose” of such gatherings is “to recruit pastors and spiritual leaders to run for local office—city council, school board, county commissioner, parks and recreation, etc.—in 2022, 2024, 2026 and thereafter, in an attempt to neutralize and overcome the assault by cultural Marxism.”

Based on the speech Robinson delivered at the Salt & Light Conference, it is easy to see why he has been a featured speaker at so many of Lane’s events. The ardent strain of Christian nationalism that fueled his remarks would have been extreme coming from a radical right-wing pastor; it was even more alarming coming from a high-ranking elected official.

Robinson opened his remarks by declaring that the United States has been, is, and always will be a “Christian nation” and that anyone who doesn’t like it is free to leave:
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/north-carolinas-republican-lt-gov-mark-robinson-puts-his-christian-nationalism-on-full-display/

Oh but in Mark Robinson’s church there is! And by the way you know what’s not mentioned in the Bible? Guns! But that’s not in the twisted worldview of Mark Robinson and people who think like him and vote for him. I will never understand the gun cabal because they are not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would have wanted now is it? But in the eyes of people like him, they somehow equate the 2nd Amendment with JAYSUS worship. That to me is quite literally insane!

Last week, we published a piece about a speech delivered by North Carolina’s Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson at a right-wing Christian conference in which Robinson was unabashed in promoting his radical Christian nationalist worldview. The shocking nature of Robinson’s remarks prompted us to start looking at other speeches Robinson has delivered, many of which, we discovered, were equally extreme.

In June, Robinson spoke at Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove, North Carolina, where he ranted that Christians must take control of public schools because children are being abused by being taught “filth.”

During that same speech, Robinson also claimed that guns are a gift from God given to humans so they can protect themselves, just as garden slugs produce certain enzymes that prevent them from being eaten by predators.

“To every animal, God has given the ability to defend yourself,” Robinson said. “God didn’t even leave the garden slug out. Garden slugs have little enzymes in it that make it unappealing for folks to eat. Certainly we wouldn’t want to eat them. But even some animals look at garden slugs and find them unappealing because there’s an enzyme in them that gives off something that drives creatures away. And there’s even an inside enzyme in some of them that if creatures eat them, they automatically spit them out.”

“God gave the garden slug a way to defend itself,” he continued. “Now, if God gave the garden slug a way to defend themselves, what makes you think he didn’t give man, who he created in his own image, a way to defend himself? Those AR-15s and Glock 9mms and .45 calibers; where do you think they came from? Who do you think inspired them? God knew the world he was putting us into, so he formed in our mind the ability for us to be able to defend ourselves from anybody who may threaten us.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/north-carolina-lt-gov-mark-robinson-says-guns-are-a-gift-from-god/

Come on, Brother Mark. I have read the Bible, I don’t remember guns mentioned anywhere. And what are you defending yourself from? You live in the suburbs, you’re not defending anyone from anything and you know it! And by the way in case you’re wondering whether or not anyone actually votes for an extremist like this, you might want to consider your local pastor. There’s a reason why he purposefully checked that box for the unholy Dark One! And no, Reverend, the only one here who’s lost their minds is you, and you might want to look in the mirror!

Bishop Patrick Wooden of North Carolina is a viciously anti-LGBTQ right-wing pastor who has claimed, among other things, that gay men have to wear diapers because they routinely insert cellphones, baseball bats, and animals into their anuses.

Naturally, Wooden is close allies with North Carolina’s Christian nationalist Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is likewise vehemently opposed to efforts to promote LGBTQ rights and equality. With Robinson under fire over a clip Right Wing Watch posted of him ranting that Christians must take control of public schools because “there’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” Wooden is predictably coming to Robinson’s defense.

On Thursday, Wooden posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he praised Robinson’s comments, asserted that those who have criticized Robinson are racist, dismissed local LGBTQ leaders as “losers,” and reported that Robinson’s right-wing supporters had gathered with him Wednesday to hold “a big prayer meeting” amid the controversy.

“Many in North Carolina have lost their minds,” Wooden said. “We have a tremendous lieutenant governor—Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a history-making lieutenant governor, the only African American lieutenant governor in the history of this here great state—and the man is doing a fantastic job.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/i-thank-god-for-him-right-wing-pastor-patrick-wooden-defends-nc-lt-gov-mark-robinsons-bigoted-comments/

[font size="8"]The Holy Shit Hotline To Heaven
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Welcome back to the Holy Shit Hotline To Heaven! This of course is the free form discussion room where we get to discuss anything as long as it’s related to religion. And I must preface that it can be anything you want to talk about – something in the news, something a right wing politician said or did, or anything else you can dream of! No subject is too taboo or off the table for us. Except of course for the unholy, ungodly Dark One – you know him. The man who is so disgusting, depraved, vile, and evil that his name dare NOT be spoken in my church! That said let’s check the voice mails and Tweets left on our Hotline To Heaven! That’s right, we’re a bit more high tech than your standard church is!

Mike S. from Jackson Hole, Wyoming writes:

“Heavenly Father,

Why has there been an increase in anti-Semitism lately? Didn’t we fight an entire war on this sort of thing back in the 1940s?”

Well, my son, if there’s anything that we have learned from the former administration, and He Who Shall Not Be Named, it’s that Facebook and internet activity has made people more racist. And we’re not joking about this.

For more than five years, I begged Republicans to reject the creeping anti-Semitism Donald Trump brought to the party, noting on the eve of the 2016 election that “when a demagogue begins to identify scapegoats, the Jews are never far behind.”

But I never expected I would see in my lifetime, in the United States of America, what occurred on the floor of the House this week. One hundred ninety-nine Republican members of Congress rallied to the defense of a vile, unapologetic anti-Semite in their ranks who calls for assassination of her opponents.

This is more than a Republican problem; it’s an American problem. You don’t have to be a scholar of 20th-century Europe to know what happens when the elected leaders of a democracy condone violence as a political tool and blame the country’s ills on the Jews.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), who is quickly becoming the de facto face of the Republican Party, has suggested that the deadly neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, where white supremacists chanted “Jews will not replace us,” was actually an “inside job” to “further the agenda of the elites.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/05/199-house-republicans-have-embraced-anti-semitism-violence/

Yeah probably! And with representative s like this at the helm, who needs enemies? Next up:

Stephanie P. from San Diego, California writes:

“Heavenly Father,

I looked at my uber-religious cousin’s Facebook page. It’s filled with vicious anti-vaccine memes and other hateful rhetoric aimed at democrats. Is there any reason for that?”

So there’s no direct reason for that. But thanks to our good friends over at r/HermanCainAwards, we have been tracking some of the vicious stuff that’s being said and it’s quite appalling. But when pastors and other church leaders start spewing this nonsense, we can’t be surprised when their flock follows suit. And with pastors like these, we’re really not surprised that people are getting more hateful.

My god is it any wonder why I haven’t taken a sledge hammer to my computer yet? But as our Good Book points out – violence doesn’t really solve anything, that’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now is it? Next up we have:

Jason N. from Henderson, NV writes:

Heavenly Father,

Why do my fellow Christians fall for scams and hucksters and conspiracy theories every single time?”

Well, brother Jason, I would suspect that it has something to do with their gatherings. You invite someone up on stage enough and if they repeat the lie long enough, people will eventually start to believe it! And believe me when I say that they’ve said some pretty crazy shit over the years. Even though our Good Book instructs that “thou shalt not lie”, that hasn’t stopped our brothers and sisters on the right from arguing in a crowd in front of a stage!

For the last several months, Clay Clark, a business consultant who hosts a podcast called “Thrivetime,” has been leading a “ReAwaken America Tour” in venues around the country. As Right Wing Watch reported in June, Clark himself is a radical anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, and so it is no surprise that he has crammed his events full of right-wing election, COVID-19, and QAnon conspiracy theorists.

In December, Clark will be taking his tour to Elevate Live Church in Frisco, Texas, and he’s filled the speaking slots with the usual allotment of MAGA activists and conspiracy theorists, such as Michael Flynn, Greg Locke, Scott McKay, Ann Vandersteel, Mark Sherwood, Gene Ho, Patrick Byrne, Stella Immanuel, Jackson Lahmeyer, Leon Benjamin, Mark Burns, and dozens more.

Joining this motley crew in Dallas, according to Clark, will be Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Appearing on “The Todd Coconato Show” Friday, Clark revealed that Paxton will be participating in the December event, as will religious-right activist Sean Feucht and Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-to-appear-at-election-covid-19-qanon-conspiracy-theory-conference-in-december/

Oh come on. Re-Awaken America. Last thing we need is turning more people in favor of the unholy, ungodly Dark One! I of course speak of a man so foul, depraved, sinful, and disgusting that his name dare NOT be spoken in my church, thus you will be banished to the further reaches of the place where fire, torture and brimstone are common! Finally this week, our final prayer comes to us from:

“Lisa Q. from Tuscon, Arizona writes:

“Heavenly Father,

I am new to this church. Who is this “Dark One” that you speak of and why are we not allowed to mention his name during your sermons?”

Well, my fair sister Lisa, the Dark One refers to the man who was our 45th president. And the reason why we don’t say his name here is because, as I have repeated multiple times, he is so foul, so vile, so evil, and so depraved and sinful that he breaks every sin known to man in our “Good Book”. And our brothers and sisters on the right have been thinking of him in the same way as they think of our good LAWRD JAYSUS! I will not stand idly by while they allow such filth to be compared to the Holy Lord! He does not stand for good. He stands for all that is evil and wrong with the world! The religious right’s undying support of this foul creature goes against every moral fiber in my body and the morals and values that I was taught growing up!

Right-wing radio host Eric Metaxas is an adamant election conspiracy theorist who was booted from YouTube earlier this year for relentlessly pushing the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

Metaxas, who conveniently ignores every bit of information that debunks his false narrative, appeared on the “FlashPoint” program, which airs on Kenneth Copeland’s The Victory Channel, Tuesday night, where he called the election of President Joe Biden a “satanic usurpation” and vowed never to accept the results, likening it someone having “raped and killed somebody I love.”

“Should we just give up on the election?” host Gene Bailey facetiously asked. “Is that what you think?”

“You know, if somebody raped and killed somebody I love, I’m not the kind of guy that says, ‘You know what? Hey, we all make mistakes. Let it go,'” Metaxas replied. “Once that person is in jail, I might go and pray with that person. But I will not sleep until that person is found and put behind bars.”

“I believe [the election] was stolen,” he continued. “But let’s say it wasn’t. I want to know, I want to be convinced, and I want every American to be convinced that our election processes are absolutely transparent. And when people tell you to, ‘Shut up, move along,’ that is a big red flag [that] they’re hiding something.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/election-conspiracy-theorist-eric-metaxas-says-bidens-election-was-a-satanic-usurpation/

Thank you my fair congregation! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! We will return on 11/7 with episode 3!

Credits

Host: Pastor Initech
Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons Recorded Live At: Constellation Room at Observatory OC, Santa Ana, CA
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October 14, 2021

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-12: Three Men & A Subpoena Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-12: Three Men & A Subpoena Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! What’s up Salt Lake City? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? Great! So I do have to say that episode 1 of our first ever spinoff series - Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons was an absolutely rousing success! We’ll be back on 10/24 for episode 2 and I promise that it’s going to be a good one! And I do want to say that we’ve been renewed for season 12 which means the return of Stupidest State 2022! Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do! So let me ask you something my fair audience – do we really need another Home Alone? I am so damn tired of sequels and reboots that I am getting to the point where I can’t stand this shit anymore. But the Home Alone reboot is definitely approaching ridiculous territory. And come on let’s face it – Home Alone doesn’t really hold up much anymore. And I refuse to acknowledge the existence of Home Alone 2 because it has the worst human being in the world in a cameo. Let’s also face it – I had no idea Home Alone 3 even existed and it’s one of the worst sequels ever. Can we stop remaking things now? This is getting ridiculous! OK rant over. Enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to but first John Oliver is back and he discusses the one subject that is about as bad for your brain as any number of drugs – misinformation!

Man this week was a banner week for conservative idiocy wasn’t it? In the number one slot this week is the GOP (1). Bill Maher dropped a bombshell of a New Rule last week which showed how the republicans are part of a slow moving coup against the United States and we’re going to break it down and examine how it could happen from our perspective. In the second slot this week is AT&T. Did they help unleash the beast known as OAN? Yeah they did, and fuck them! In the number 3 slot is Steve Bannon (3) who is aiding Rudy Giuliani and Ali Alexander in defying Congressional orders to subpoena about where they were on January 6th. In the number 4 slot this week is anti-vaxxers (4) which includes the extreme violence coming from Italian anti-vaxxers, while our home grown bioterrorists are making a bizarre claim about the recent Southwest Airlines fiasco. Taking the number 5 slot this week is Elon Musk (5). So Tesla has officially left California for greener pastures in Texas and that’s largely so Elon can afford some nice tax breaks. In the number 6 slot this week is of course our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10- and this week is another gathering of hardline MAGAs known as the “Pray Vote Stand Festival”, formerly known as the Values Voters Summit. New identity and the same bullshit from the Christian right that you’ve always known! In the number 7 slot this week is a new edition of This Fucking Guy and this week we’re going after Eric Clapton (7). Yes, the guy who was almost once a Beatle, is a hard right anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist, and he’s getting raked over the coals for his beliefs! In the number 8 slot this week is a new Conspiracy Corner (8) and this week the Gabby Petito murder has reached ridiculous heights with Dog The Bounty Hunter involved, but is it really a ploy by him to get back on TV? Probably. In the number 9 (NEIN!!) slot this week we have a new “I Need A Drink” and this week we’re finally taking a look at the bizarre obsession of celebrities who refuse to bathe properly in a piece we’re calling “Stanky Ass Celebs”. Finally this week in Red State Diaries (10) we’ve got highlights from the Orange One’s latest MAGA rally and it’s quite possibly one of his most insane yet. But we’ll say that next time too. And we’ve got some live music from the great Twenty One Pilots! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]The GOP
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You know we had a much different entry for this one, about the Amp Fesitval in Miami, but I hated the entry so I threw it out. And we normally don’t talk about editorials on this show. But we have to talk about Bill Maher from last week. Because he really hit the nail on the head about how republicans and conservatives could steal 2024 from us. In fact before we go any further let’s roll the clip. Watch it in its’ entirety.

Yeah holy shit indeed! That’s some scary dark prophecies right there. The thing is we dodged the most massive of bullets in 2020. But that bullet does have the potential to ricochet. See we’ve been talking a long time about how conservatives have the potential to steal elections and they almost got away with it in 2020. Almost. But in 2024? We should expect that the MAGAs will be prepared for an all out war with the US government if they don’t win in a landslide.

In a bombshell report issued last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee painted a disturbing picture of what the United States could become if something drastic isn’t done to halt the slide into single-party rule — and soon.

Particularly troubling in the report titled “Subverting Justice: How the Former President and His Allies Pressured DOJ to Overturn the 2020 Election” is the foreshadowing of how former President Trump will undoubtedly again abuse the Justice Department if he or one of his allies becomes president in 2025. America has seen this ugliness before. The abuses of the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, have been described by historians as “little less than blackmail of prominent public officials and private citizens and personal intimidation toward any person or institution daring to question his authority,” including the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr.

What America is facing with a possible second Trump presidency is the potential for widespread spying, bullying and retaliation of U.S. citizens based on their perceived loyalty or disloyalty to the Oval Office occupant.

Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher offered a chilling, must-watch preview of the U.S. 2024 presidential election, warning, “I hope I scared the shit out of you.” Yes, we should all be scared.”
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/576249-whats-at-stake-if-trump-wins-in-2024-single-party-authoritarian-rule

Yes… oh shit indeed! And they may actually get away with it too. So let’s extrapolate and see how this dark prophecy could play out, shall we? Let’s start with our old buddy Mike Lindell. Yes, Creepy Pillow Man might be back on the pipe again. Because let’s take a look at his latest claim. First he claimed that there was an 850 year old man who voted in the election. Which is weird because America isn’t even that old. Then there was this.

Nearly one year after former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, MyPillow CEO and fierce Trump loyalist Mike Lindell is still espousing a string of bizarre - and false - claims about the election results.

This time, the right-wing businessman trumpeted a conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of people voted using a fake address and phone number in Wisconsin to help Biden win the battleground state that Trump took in 2016.

Without offering any evidence, Lindell, during an interview on his own website, michaeljlindell.com, suggested 23,000 people voted using the same prison address in the state and claimed "a lot of them" weren't even alive.

"If you can pull up, I'm gonna show you guys in Wisconsin, just an example, how 23,000 people voted using a prison address and used the same phone number," he said. "And a lot of them were people that turned out, as we dove into it, they're not alive anymore, they just used their names obviously, and they don't live in Wisconsin."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mike-lindell-is-still-spreading-lies-about-the-2020-election-he-most-recently-claimed-23000-dead-people-voted-in-wisconsin-using-a-prison-address/ar-AAPrvRt
6

Holy shit! Bart wasn’t that far off there! But that’s just one possible way that the fuckheads (formerly known as MAGAs) can steal the 2024 election. I mean look we’re three years away and I wouldn’t put it past them that they’re planning the steal now. And Trump and his supporters would carry out the next holocaust if enabled! I’m convinced that if social media conspiracies had been around in 1940 we’d currently be under Nazi rule and I am not exaggerating that! But let’s look at another angle on how they could steal 2024 – rewriting history and make no mistake they will attempt that.

Nine months after the attack on the US Capitol, Republicans in Congress are defending Donald Trump's role on January 6 in some of their strongest terms yet -- and signaling he'd have widespread backing from the party if he ran for president again in 2024.

Republicans from across the conference -- including some who are vulnerable in next year's midterms or have long been seen as part of the establishment wing of the party -- are expressing little to no reservations about the prospect of Trump topping the ticket again, even as he continues to spread the same election lies that led a mob to storm their place of work. Some GOP members are cheering on a Trump comeback, saying he remains a popular figure and powerful force in the party. And there's widespread agreement among Republicans that Trump would be the automatic frontrunner -- and freeze the primary field -- if he chooses to jump in.

Even some Republicans in swing districts -- like Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey -- are embracing Trump's potential return into the political fray.

"Yes, I would," Van Drew, who switched parties and became a Republican in 2019 to defend Trump during his first impeachment proceedings, said when asked if he would back the ex-President if he ran again in 2024.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/politics/congressional-republicans-trump-president-2024/index.html

Well us too! Because the path to authoritarianism like Bill Maher described, is a slow moving coup, and it will sneak up on you before you realize that it’s too late. We should be paying attention to what they are doing now, and we should be alarmed at their every move. It’s not a slow moving coup. Conspiracy theories are a cancer and they are dangerous. We should be giving them a heavy dose of chemotherapy, but instead ones like Q Anon have metastasized and grown. We’re at stage 4. Next step? It kills the host and good night everybody! Sleep tight!

It started as one big, false claim — that the election was stolen from Donald Trump.

But nearly a year later, the Big Lie is metastasizing, with Republicans throughout the country raising the specter of rigged elections in their own campaigns ahead of the midterms.

The preemptive spin is everywhere. Last week it was Larry Elder in California, who — before getting trounced in the GOP’s failed effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom — posted a “Stop Fraud” page on his campaign website. Before that, at a rally in Virginia, state Sen. Amanda Chase introduced herself as a surrogate for gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin and told the crowd, “Because the Democrats like to cheat, you have to cast your vote before they do.” In Nevada, Adam Laxalt, the former state attorney general running to unseat Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, is already talking about filing lawsuits to “tighten up the election” — more than a year before votes are cast. And in Pennsylvania, former Rep. Lou Barletta, who is running for governor after losing a Senate race two years earlier, said he “had to consider” whether a Republican could ever win a race again in his state given the current administration of elections there.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/20/election-fraud-conspiracies-infect-midterms-512783

[font size="8"]AT&T
[br] [/font] [br]

RIP Liberal media. 1920 – 2021. You will be missed. The cause of death? Well AT&T might just be the cause of it. I do have to say that thank god I am no longer an AT&T customer because I would have canceled whatever contract I have because of it. Because there was a massive bombshell this week dropped by Reuters that AT&T were the ones behind the pro-Trump conservative network One America News, or OAN. That’s right – the network that openly flaunts pro-Trump conspiracy theories and occasionally goes full Q Anon may have been the brainchild of AT&T executives. And look even the “liberal media” that they constantly rail against isn’t really that liberal. But this takes that entire talking point and turns it on its’ ear. This is quite possibly one of the most egregious things anyone can do, and if corporations are people, AT&T should be facing serious punishment for this.

One America News, the far-right network whose fortunes and viewership rose amid the triumph and tumult of the Trump administration, has flourished with support from a surprising source: AT&T Inc, the world's largest communications company.

A Reuters review of court records shows the role AT&T played in creating and funding OAN, a network that continues to spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic.

OAN founder and chief executive Robert Herring Sr has testified that the inspiration to launch OAN in 2013 came from AT&T executives.

“They told us they wanted a conservative network,” Herring said during a 2019 deposition seen by Reuters. “They only had one, which was Fox News, and they had seven others on the other [leftwing] side. When they said that, I jumped to it and built one.”

Since then, AT&T has been a crucial source of funds flowing into OAN, providing tens of millions of dollars in revenue, court records show. Ninety percent of OAN’s revenue came from a contract with AT&T-owned television platforms, including satellite broadcaster DirecTV, according to 2020 sworn testimony by an OAN accountant.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-oneamerica-att/

Wow, that is quite the bombshell! Now before you boo, and you absolutely should boo AT&T for this, but what makes this even worse is that this is a win for Q Anon conspiracy theorists. That’s right – funding a network that caters to the lunatic fringe has devastating consequences. And we saw those come to fruition on January 6th. And even now, they run clips like this on their show that just flaunt election conspiracy theories and pro-Trump bullshit. And that is what makes OAN dangerous, but now that Reuters has Scooby Doo’d them and pulled off their masks, we know who’s really behind them!

Operating on the ragged edge of legality, right-wing news outlet One America News Network, or OAN, appears to have a very strange bedfellow, at least according to an alarming report from Reuters. In the piece, it describes how telecommunications giant AT&T (NYSE:T) funded the agency often responsible for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories. Naturally, investors are worried about the potential fallout to T stock.

As political analysts have pointed out, two key narratives are at play here: one is the societal and political aspect of funding a fringe network. Second is the economic angle. For the former, it’s very difficult to have the warm and fuzzies for T stock. This isn’t just about a difference of opinion. Rather, OAN hawks irresponsible ideas.

Indeed, The Independent called out an OAN host for calling for the execution of “traitors” who “stole” the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Honestly, it’s hard to distinguish some of OAN’s talking points to that of QAnon, the infamous far-right conspiracy movement. Therefore, the fear that T stock could suffer from the association is a real one.

For its part, AT&T denied funding OAN nor has it ever had a financial interest in its success, per a Newsweek article. If this happens to be another example of an overzealous report jumping to conclusions, then investors may be penalizing T stock prematurely.
https://investorplace.com/2021/10/t-stock-latest-controversy-yuge-win-qanon/

Yeah we can’t even begin to emphasize how much AT&T sucks for what they did. If they took sides they absolutely chose the wrong one. It’d be like playing a game of darts and instead of hitting the target, you hit the pole on the right and then claim you were actually trying to hit the target. Not the best analogy but you get my point. But even the president of AT&T admitted that they were the ones behind OAN, now let’s pull off their mask and find out who they really are!

OAN is a little-watched channel headquartered in San Diego that was founded in 2013 by California businessman Robert Herring. But it has grown in popularity in recent years due in large part to promotion by former President Donald Trump.

The outlet has been notorious for pushing misinformation about the coronavirus as well as being one of the main promoters of the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.

But until Reuters published its reporting on Wednesday, little was known about AT&T's role in the founding of the channel.

Herring filed a lawsuit in 2016 against AT&T, alleging the company had violated an agreement to carry his channel on DirecTV, which it owned at the time (AT&T still owns 70% of DirecTV, which has been spun off into a standalone company). In a court document as part of the lawsuit, which was reviewed by CNN, Herring said that when he was thinking about creating a new cable channel, AT&T advised him to launch a news network.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/06/media/att-oan/index.html

Damn straight! AT&T funded a steaming load of grade A certified bullshit. You might as well slap a pile of horse manure with an AT&T logo and then feed it ivermectin. Yeah thank you for that image graphics department! Though I do love that they are being raked over the coals for their decision to fund this bastion of fake news. And especially John Oliver. That man is a national treasure. I don’t care if he’s British, we’re claiming him!

John Oliver’s still enjoying his return to a live audience, and this week, he fired shots at Fox and Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade for his most awkward obsession, but before that happened, the Last Week Tonight host wasn’t afraid (as he never is) to spare some words to skewer some right-leaning actions of current HBO parent company AT&T. Only one month ago, Oliver took aim at the multinational conglomerate for making political donations to Texas legislators who worked to pass Texas’ insane new abortion law. And last week, a Reuters investigative report revealed how AT&T played a massive role “in creating and funding OAN,” the conservative news network (and Fox News competitor) that continues to peddle baseless (and dangerous) election-fraud and pandemic-centered conspiracy theories.

As Oliver put things, AT&T has been “up to some sh*t.” This follows Reuters’ reporting of testimony from OAN CEO and founder, Robert Herring Sr., who stated (during a deposition) that AT&T executives “told us they wanted a conservative network.” To that, Herring says that he jumped at the offering, and Oliver is not impressed because AT&T reportedly funds 90% of what’s essentially a far-right-wing factory at Herring Networks.

“AT&T is still technically our business daddy,” Oliver explained while beginning his rant. “Making OAN our business step-sibling, and not in a hot way.” In the end, this grew very dramatic. “You’re a terrible company. You do bad things. and you make the world worse.”
https://uproxx.com/tv/john-oliver-hbo-att-oan-funding/

[font size="8"]Steve Bannon
[br] [/font] [br]

The slow moving coup has already metastasized and is quickly becoming a cancer. The conservatives’ war on Joe Biden has escalated to the point where – I am not making this up – this happened.

Yeah I shit you not! They actually tried to disguise a “Fuck Joe Biden” chant as if the audience has been saying “Let’s Go Brandon!”. Which I can assure you they most certainly did not. And we wonder why ordinary people fell for the Nazis. But this isn’t about that, we’ll save that more for the next entry. This entry is instead going to be about the beginning of the slow moving coup being orchestrated by Steve Bannon, Ali Alexander, and Rudy Guiliani defying orders to testify about their involvement in the January 6th fast moving coup. Or as I’m calling this, Three Men And A Subpoena. Thank you very much, graphics department! So here’s Steve Bannon’s role in all of this. He’s predicting use of a private MAGA army to carry out Trump’s evil biddings in the 2024 election if it doesn’t go 100% their way. And this is why conspiracy theories are dangerous.

Donald Trump’s former White House strategist Steve Bannon on Saturday evoked a dystopian future when he called for “shock troops” to quickly “deconstruct” the state as soon as a Republican takes the Oval Office again.

Bannon made the chilling comments in a phone interview on NBC News after it reported that he had met Wednesday with the party faithful to urge them to be prepared to “reconfigure the government” with a Republican leader.

Bannon, who ran Trump’s 2016 campaign, said the former president’s agenda packing the government with loyalists was delayed because he couldn’t move quickly enough to fill some 4,000 posts.

Bannon spoke at the Capitol Hill Club Wednesday at the invitation of a new organization called the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, according to NBC. The group was formed as a resource for future GOP officials to tap into to quickly fill federal jobs.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/steve-bannon-gop-shock-troops-deconstruct-the-state-nbc_n_6158e747e4b05040d1db8f34

Yeah that’s putting it lightly! But that said, while Congress is putting pressure on the trio of traitors to appear at the next round of January 6th hearings, they’re laughing at the prospect of actually having to testify. Because let’s face it, if you’re a white man and you have an R next to your name and firmly subscribe to the cult beliefs, you can pretty much get away with murder. But that said, Mr. Bannon is in the process of forming a far right power grab, which will hit you like a ton of bricks.

Scores of former Trump political appointees gathered at a GOP social club Wednesday night to hear Steve Bannon detail how they could help the next Republican president reconfigure government.

"If you’re going to take over the administrative state and deconstruct it, then you have to have shock troops prepared to take it over immediately," Bannon said in a telephone interview with NBC News. "I gave 'em fire and brimstone."

Bannon, who ran former President Donald Trump's first campaign and later worked as a top adviser in the White House, said that Trump's agenda was delayed by the challenges of quickly filling roughly 4,000 slots for presidential appointees at federal agencies and the steep learning curve for political officials who were new to Washington.

He is not alone in that view. His appearance at the Capitol Hill Club came at the invitation of a new organization called the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, which was formed to create a resource for future GOP officials tapped to fill federal jobs.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/bannon-fires-shock-troops-next-gop-white-house-n1280591?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

Yeah they’re moving about this at the same pace as Wiley Coyote is attempting to catch the Road Runner, and with the same quality Acme branded products. But if Steve Bannon doesn’t scare the shit out of you, he absolutely should. He might just be the link in Trump’s slow moving coup. They say it’s a game of however many dimensions of chess there are, and it seems like they add a new one every week or so. It’s more like a game of dominoes. They’re setting up the pieces right now as we speak.

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot will "swiftly consider" holding one-time Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, and potentially others, in contempt of Congress for ignoring committee subpoenas, committee chairman Bennie Thompson vice-chair Liz Cheney said Friday.

The move came after Bannon formally advised the committee that he would be unable to comply with their requests, citing former President Donald Trump's intention to invoke executive privilege. In a letter obtained by ABC News, Bannon's lawyers said that until the matter is settled in court, they will not comply with the committee's subpoena.

The committee last month issued subpoenas to Bannon and other top Trump aides Mark Meadows, Kash Patel and Dan Scavino, as part of its probe into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. An additional 11 subpoenas were issued last week to organizers of the pro-Trump rally that preceded the attack.

Meadows, a former White House chief of staff, and Patel, an ex-Pentagon official, are "engaging" with the committee, officials said. The committee had no update on the status of Scavino.

"While Mr. Meadows and Mr. Patel are, so far, engaging with the Select Committee, Mr. Bannon has indicated that he will try to hide behind vague references to privileges of the former President," Thompson and Cheney said in a joint statement. "The Select Committee fully expects all of these witnesses to comply with our demands for both documents and deposition testimony."

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/jan-committee-swiftly-criminal-contempt-steve-bannon-ignore/story?id=80486293

No you’re not, Mr. Bannon! In fact we’re onto you. Now here’s where it gets weird because you knew it was going to. Remember a while back when we discussed a church that was obsessed with firearms that had purchased a large plot of land outside Pennsylvania (see: Top 10 Best Of #17 ). We now know what they are doing with it. Is it a compound or a cult? Or is it a military training center for a MAGA coup in 2024? And why does it involve Steve Bannon? See? We can make up our own conspiracies too!

Global takeover conspiracy theories. Christian pastors and local sheriffs still pissed that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. And the head of a group that even the reserved Facebook censors labeled a “violent social militia.”

Few Americans are even aware that the gun company Kahr and a rural Pennsylvania doomsday church—both run by the same ultra-rich Korean family—hold an annual “Freedom Festival” that attracts gun enthusiasts and the type of people who attach “Don’t Tread on Me” flags to the back of their trucks. But in the wake of the failed Jan. 6 insurrection, the event’s amalgamation of sovereign citizens and alt-truthers has taken on a new meaning. And now, it’s even got an all-star lineup.

This year’s top speakers include Steve Bannon, once the chief strategist for President Trump, Dana Loesch, the former aggressively vocal National Rifle Association spokeswoman who made millions while achieving celebrity status in the gun industry, and a smattering of alt-right figures known for championing Trump and the Second Amendment.

Ryan Busse, a former gun industry executive turned self-described whistleblower, told The Daily Beast that the presence of such high-profile speakers lends a dangerous credibility to the armed American fringe that is increasingly angry, vocal, and demanding of government policies that cater to their politics.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/doomsday-church-and-gun-company-kahr-team-up-for-ultra-right-festival-steve-bannon-dana-loesch-freedom-fest

[font size="8"]Anti-Vaxxers
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Anti-vaxxers… when are you going to learn two things? The first is that you’re probably loaded with vaccines. Hell, my parents have pages of vaccine records from when I was a kid. The second is… vaccines are the reason why you’re still alive! And if you don’t believe that the virus is real and is a real threat… I would like to direct you to my favorite subreddit called “r/HermanCainAwards”. Named after the late Herman Cain (see: Idiots #9-9 ), this subreddit explores people who are vehemently and publicly anti-vaccine, get COVID, get admitted to the hospital, get put on a ventilator and die. While seeking “prayer warriors” and that ultimately leads to their demise. Morbid, I know. But not as insane as the latest nonsense coming from anti-vaxxers about the Southwest Airlines fiasco. Which they are seeing as some kind of anti-vaccine moral crusader victory for their cause. Um… it’s not.

Conservative figures and politicians opposing vaccine and mask mandates have blamed more than 2,000 recent flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines on vaccine mandates, but both the airline and pilots union have said the massive number of flight disruptions had nothing to do with it.

That didn't stop some politicians, like former president Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rep. Andy Biggs from Arizona, from trying to link the cancellations to federal vaccine mandates even though they offered no evidence of it.

"The weekend challenges were not a result of Southwest Employee demonstrations, as some are reporting," a spokesperson with the airline told BuzzFeed News.

False rumors online suggested the cancellations may have been linked to pilots walking off the job or calling in sick to protest mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19, which the company is requiring all employees to get by Dec. 8. The company requirement comes after President Joe Biden in September issued a mandate for COVID vaccines for federal employees, federal contractors, and companies with more than 100 employees.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/southwest-airlines-flights-canceled

Now here’s the thing – you know we give American anti-vaxxers a hard time largely because we’re an American based show. And they absolutely deserve every bit of shit that they get. Because it’s thanks to this nonsense that they’re going to the hospital and dying in droves. But that said, America’s anti-vaxxers ain’t got nothing on Italy’s anti-vaxxers, who are turning way more violent and crazy than ours could ever even dream of! We go across the sea to Italy for this story!

Central Rome was gripped with violence this weekend as thousands of protesters marched against the toughest new vaccine mandates in the world. All Italians will soon be required to show a coronavirus "Green Pass," proving either vaccination, recovery in the past six months, or a negative COVID-19 test from the past 48 hours to enter their workplaces.

What started off as a restless but peaceful demonstration against the looming measure in Rome's Piazza del Popolo ended up sparking a tinderbox when an offshoot of protesters stormed the headquarters of CGIL, Italy's oldest and biggest labor union.

In a bizarre twist, the unrest created a security incident for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was in Rome for a meeting with foreign leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Pope Francis. She was attending Mass at St. Patrick's Church and scheduled to give a reading when the chaos outside moved Italian government officials to remove the speaker and her husband from the premises.

Loud chants of "liberta'" (freedom) echoed throughout the Eternal City. Freedom, the protesters demanded, from the national vaccine mandate scheduled to go into effect on October 15.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-mandate-italy-violent-protests/

Yeah the shit is really hitting the fan in Italy. But back here you might have seen reports of anti-vaxxers taking their fight about vaccine and mask mandates to school boards. You personally could not pay me enough to sit at a school board meeting. But these people are crashing these meetings and treating school board members like shit. I can’t imagine these people are proud of what they are doing, though they probably think they are.

Parents packed an Oakdale school board meeting on Monday to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students, urging trustees to fight it.

Under the governor’s Oct. 1 announcement, students at all California public and private K-12 schools will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend in-person classes, following full authorization of the shots for their age groups from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This could apply to grades seven through 12 in July 2022, according to Newsom’s office.

“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then,” Superintendent Dave Kline told The Modesto Bee.

Parents on Monday asked the trustees of Oakdale Joint Unified School District to not enforce the vaccine mandate, pleading for the ability to make medical choices for their children. They carried signs with slogans including “My Child, My Choice, No Vaccine” and wore shirts bearing “We do not co-parent with the government” and other messages.

At one point, someone standing near the podium collapsed. After a brief pause to check if the person was OK, public comment continued.
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/oakdale/article254952482.html

Sigh……….. you know here’s the thing – if you collapse while you’re at the podium screaming about vaccine mandates, you’re not exactly proving your point. But that said the conservatives have lost their damn minds when it comes to this issue. We cannot stress this enough: STOP LISTENING TO IDIOTS ON FUCKING FACEBOOK!!!! Get the vaccine! Ok now that I got that off my chest here’s what conservatives think of the Southwest going behind their backs. Comply or die! I’d rather comply.

Reports of Southwest cancelling nearly 2,000 flights on Saturday and Sunday—disruptions the airline blamed on bad weather and air traffic control issues—immediately sparked speculation from Republicans about the role of the company’s new vaccine mandate, which had already drawn some internal opposition.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) took to Twitter on Sunday night to declare the cancellations the result of “Joe Biden’s illegal vaccine mandate at work,” referencing the federal government’s requirement that major airlines get workers vaccinated or risk losing lucrative contracts.

Fellow Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy went a step further, proclaiming himself “100% behind” employees at the Dallas-based company, which he called on his colleagues in the House and Senate to boycott for future aid.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) similarly took up the cause of Southwest employees, with Biggs saying he stands with what he described as a fight for “freedom.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/10/11/shut-them-down-republicans-attack-southwest-airlines-side-with-employees-amid-rumored-vaccine-mandate-protest/?sh=b7ae8f565c39

[font size="8"]Elon Musk
[br] [/font] [br]

You know let’s face it – at this point, Elon Musk is an underwater fortress and a furry cat away from becoming a real life Ernst Starvo Blofeld. So is the Tesla move from California to Texas a good thing or a bad thing? Well it’s mostly bad. And as a Californian I’m quite frankly insulted. Sure, the Tesla factory, which was formerly owned by Toyota, will probably get picked up by a new manufacturer of electric vehicles, of which there’s plenty to choose from. And that’s one thing that I am glad about is that more and more people and governments are embracing the future of electric vehicles and electric transportation. Which is why the Tesla move to Texas is a really horrible one. Because it’s mostly about taxes. So why the move now? Well it’s going to have a huge effect on not only California but the city that it’s moving to – Austin, Texas.

Upon moving from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, critics and fans of Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk have mixed opinions about the move. Tesla enthusiasts might have seen it coming all along, especially after California politicians spewed profanities in the direction of the CEO, whose company has already provided an influx of employment opportunities to its new Texas market. However, without darkness, there would not be light, and there are plenty of people who are widely skeptical of Tesla’s recent decision to move its Headquarters to Austin from Fremont. However, the reasons for the move are being labeled as a betrayal of California and its workers, even though Tesla has no intentions to move any of its facilities out of the Golden State. Additionally, a commonly spread myth about all billionaires attempting to avoid paying taxes is also being thrown into the mix, further adding fuel to a fire that doesn’t really need to exist.

A recent article from the San Antonio Express-News indicates that Musk and Tesla have betrayed its California workers who have built the electric automaker from a longshot success story to the most highly-valued car company on Earth. Despite the reasoning from the article’s author, which misses the point of Tesla’s move, the narrative that Elon Musk is some sort of evil super villain sitting in a large chair with excessive lumbar support sitting in a billionaire’s palace scheming new reasons to get ahead while squishing the “average Joe” seems to appear out of nowhere. Even though Musk’s entire vision was to help avert a climate crisis and revolutionize the automotive industry, some people still seem to be convinced he is a man with horrible intentions. Still, the South African-born CEO was essentially driven out of California by its own people of authority. They asked, he granted, and now Musk is still being painted as the bad guy.

The assumption that Musk is forcing Tesla and its several manufacturing plants, logistics facilities, design studios out of California and shoving them to the Lone Star State is a common misconception amongst those who genuinely believe his mission is to make money and avoid paying his fair share of taxes. The thing is: If Musk was someone with this sort of agenda, would he have sold many of his residences? Would he be living part-time in a $50,000 home in Starbase, Texas to help with SpaceX projects? Would he be making portions of the company’s Fremont facility in Northern California permanent? Probably not.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-texas-betrayal-california-elon-musk-taxes/

You know that’s kind of how it feels – like a giant rejection letter. So what are Elon’s plans for Texas and what’s happening there? Well naturally the citizens feel that the influx of people who will be moving to Austin to get a job at the new Tesla plant will be raising the rent prices. Which in Austin currently are super cheap. So let’s ask actual Austin residents how they feel about Tesla moving in – and it’s not exactly what one would call “good”.

Austin prides itself on "keeping it weird," but the city's success at luring more big companies such as Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) has some residents wary of getting priced out of their unique culture.

Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, said on Thursday the electric car maker will move its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas. read more

Housing prices in the Austin metro area have skyrocketed in recent years, with large tech firms including Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google and Oracle Corp (ORCL.N) building new campuses in and around the city.

"I'm really happy for all the jobs this will create, but my family is already unable to buy a house right now, and it will only get worse with Tesla," Trish Webb, 47, a resident of South Austin, said on Friday while on her lunch break from her job as a hospital administrative assistant.

Median prices for Austin houses have risen some 40% over the last two years, with the median price for a house around $549,000 in September, according to real estate brokerage Redfin.
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/austin-cheers-teslas-headquarters-move-local-home-buyers-left-edge-2021-10-11/

Yeah no seriously I do feel like Elon is a new Blofeld. In fact coming soon – the new Tesla Underwater Fortress! All that’s needed is a suave super spy and a submarine car that can destroy it! Yeah I have been watching a lot of Bond movies, can’t you tell? But just like Blofeld, Elon is a man of many questions and very few answers. Yes the move from California to Texas seems oddly suspicious, but why is it that he can get away with stuff like this?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk dropped a news bomb Thursday, announcing that the electric automaker will move its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, Calif., to Austin. While the move was heralded by industry experts and local officials as a huge economic win for Central Texas, Musk — a mercurial and enigmatic billionaire who is one of the world's wealthiest people — left a number of questions unanswered.

Here's a look at what we do and don't know about Tesla's move to Austin:
When will Tesla formally move to Austin, and will its HQ offices be on property the company already owns in Travis County?

Musk didn't address either of these questions during Thursday's shareholder meeting, so those answers will have to come later. Building or leasing a corporate headquarters can take time, not to mention movting hundreds or thousands of employees, so it won't happen overnight. As for the new corporate headquarters location, Musk didn't spell it out, but he hinted that it could be on the 2,100-acre site at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road where the company is building its $1.1 billion manufacturing facility, saying that Tesla is "going to create an ecological paradise here around the Colorado River."

When will Tesla formally move to Austin, and will its HQ offices be on property the company already owns in Travis County?

Musk didn't address either of these questions during Thursday's shareholder meeting, so those answers will have to come later. Building or leasing a corporate headquarters can take time, not to mention movting hundreds or thousands of employees, so it won't happen overnight. As for the new corporate headquarters location, Musk didn't spell it out, but he hinted that it could be on the 2,100-acre site at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road where the company is building its $1.1 billion manufacturing facility, saying that Tesla is "going to create an ecological paradise here around the Colorado River."
https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2021/10/08/tesla-headquarters-move-austin-questions-elon-musk-home-employees-relocating-new-jobs/6049335001/

Well there is some good news. I don’t want you to think that this is all doom and gloom. But Elon hasn’t totally closed the Tesla plants and offices in California. But don’t think he’s gone full Larry David and opened up his own spite factory in Texas. Yeah it might appear that way but at least Elon is still committed to California even though they’re moving full on into Austin. And we’ll definitely keep an eye on this story and all the things Tesla and Space X are up to.

Musk's announcement of Tesla's headquarters move to Austin from Palo Alto isn't all that it seemed on first blush.

From the outside, the announcement tended to be viewed in the context of Musk's repeated grousing about California business regulation — especially attempts by local officials in Alameda County to force Tesla's Fremont auto plant to comply with anti-pandemic measures last year.

That wasn't the case from the inside. The lone rationale Musk gave during Tesla's annual meeting Thursday was different. There, he cited the high cost of housing and the long commutes burdening Tesla employees. In any event, the headquarters relocation wasn't entirely news: Musk first announced his intention to move Tesla's headquarters out of California in May 2020, in the teeth of his fight with Alameda County.

At that time he also threatened to shut down the Fremont plant, "dependen[t] on how Tesla is treated in the future."

In the fullness of time, the threat to Fremont turned out to be a bluff. At the annual meeting Thursday, he stated that Tesla's "intention is to actually increase output from Fremont," along with that of the company's battery plant in Nevada, by 50%.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/column-elon-musks-moving-teslas-185804889.html

[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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First off I’d like to say that if you missed Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons Episode 1, you can find it here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215940098

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! We of course love to check in from time to time what our brothers and sisters on the right are up to. And last weekend was no exception. For it was one of their annual festivals. Last week was one such gathering called the “Pray Vote Stand Festival” which was formerly known as the Values Voters Summit. And we went to Pray Vote Stand Festival to bring you some of the juiciest highlights, because that’s what we get to do now that we have our very own spinoff show! So what did we find at the Pray Vote Stand Festival? Well it’s basically the same crap with a new hat. And in fact it really shows just how far right wing religion can and has been circling the drain. Because what these people want is certainly *NOT* what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would have had in mind now is it? Well now let’s start with what’s behind door number one shall we?

Well Pastor Barna, do you want terrorists? Because that’s how you get terrorists. Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy: Eric Clapton
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This week’s This Fucking Guy is one of the best guitar players on the planet and a guy who was almost considered to be the fifth member of the Beatles – Eric Clapton. So why is he on this list? Well Mr. Clapton is not exactly what one would call a “nice guy”. In fact he’s got a history of making racist statements and is a rabid anti-vaxxer extremist conspiracy theorist. So apparently the reason why Mr. Clapton is so vehemently against vaccines is because he apparently had a bad reaction to his first one and that was enough to flip him to the side of batshit crazy. But has he always been this way? Well easy answer is yes and yes. So who’s fault is it? Well Mr. Clapton blames it primarily on “the propaganda” but hey wait a minute! That’s our job! But not only is he doubling down on his anti-vaccine nonsense, he’s apparently bankrolling it.

Cambel McLaughlin thought he was being punked. An unapologetic opponent of lockdowns and Covid-19 vaccine skeptic — he is, as he puts it, “pro-medical choice”— the 27-year-old Brit is founder of Jam for Freedom, a group of U.K. musicians that plays for free in public spaces, spreading the anti-lockdown word and sometimes singing songs with lyrics like “You can stick your poison vaccine up your arse.” For their efforts, Jam for Freedom are often hassled by police, and McLaughlin himself says he was arrested for what he calls “breach of Covid regulations” during one show.

This past spring, the car the group used to transport its gear was rendered nearly unusable after an accident, so McLaughlin started a GoFundMe page to help pay for transportation, gas, and legal fees. And one day this past spring, he was shocked to see a £1,000 donation on the site from Eric Clapton.

“I’m, like, this could be fake,” McLaughlin recalls. But when McLaughlin emailed the account listed with the donation, he received a text from the 76-year-old British guitar hero himself. “It was something complimentary, along the lines of, ‘Hey, it’s Eric — great work you’re doing,’?” McLaughlin says. The two later talked by phone, and before McLaughlin knew it, Clapton offered his family’s white, six-person VW Transporter van as a temporary replacement for Jam for Freedom’s wheels. He also gave them a chunk of money (McLaughlin declines to say how much) to buy a new van — and said he might even sit in with the group at some point. Thanks to Clapton’s assistance, Jam for Freedom are now free to spread their message all over the U.K.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/eric-clapton-vaccine-lockdown-racist-comments-1239027/

That’s right – Eric Clapton actually gave money to an anti-vaccine group. And actually said that they were doing “great work”. And by the way he might just be Mr. Flip Flopper extreme because he previously said that he wouldn’t play at any venue that required a vaccine mandate. Which is needless to say all of them! In fact he even played a show in Texas attended by famously noted anti-vaxxer governor Greg Abbott.

Gov. Greg Abbott attended Eric Clapton’s Tuesday concert in Austin, going backstage and meeting mask-less with the guitarist weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Republican leader, who is fully vaccinated, posted a photo with the English guitarist and Austin rocker Jimmie Vaughan following a concert at the Frank Erwin Center on Wednesday night.

More than a few Twitter users were turned off by the governor's photo opp with Clapton, a vocal vaccine skeptic with a track record of unsavory public remarks on race and society.

Clapton has been less than quiet about his anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown views, vowing in July to not perform at any venues requiring proof of vaccination, according to Ethan Shanfeld of Variety. The "Layla" artist was in luck Wednesday, as the Frank Erwin Center, owned and operated by the University of Texas, is prohibited from requiring masks or proof of vaccination thanks to Abbott's recent anti-mask mandates.

Abbott announced in August that he had tested positive for COVID-19. In a video uploaded to Twitter just four days after the announcement, the governor said he tested negative for the virus, crediting the “brief and mild” case to his vaccination.
https://www.lmtonline.com/politics/article/Houston-greg-abbott-concert-eric-clapton-masks-16464129.php

Yes… me fans are stupid pigs! So why is Eric Clapton hanging out with anti-vaxxers and batshit insane politicians? I mean how could you possibly be in the same room as Greg Abbott and not want to punch him in the face? It’s an impossibility I tell you! And yeah would you really want to be around Gov. Abbott after he tested positive? I know I wouldn’t! So why is Mr. Clapton funding a band full of anti-vaxxers spreading misinformation? Well this goes back to May when he first got his AstraZeneca jab.

Eric Clapton detailed his “disastrous” health experience after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine and blamed “the propaganda” for overstating the safety of the vaccine in a letter the guitarist shared with an architect/anti-lockdown activist.

Clapton previously shared his thoughts on the Covid-19 shutdown when he appeared on Van Morrison’s anti-lockdown song “Stand and Deliver” in December 2020; two months later, in February, Clapton received his first of two AstraZeneca vaccinations, he wrote in his letter to Robin Monotti, who shared the letter on his Telegram with the guitarist’s permission. (Rolling Stone has confirmed the authenticity of the letter. A rep for Clapton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

“I took the first jab of AZ and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days. I recovered eventually and was told it would be twelve weeks before the second one…,” Clapton wrote.

“About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers. Needless to say the reactions were disastrous, my hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again, (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.) But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eric-clapton-disastrous-vaccine-propaganda-1170264/

So here’s the thing – regardless of which side of the fence Mr. Clapton happens to fall on – and let’s say that, oh fuck it, he did fall on the wrong side. Here’s the thing and we cannot stress this enough – get the damn vaccine! Whatever side effects you go through are worth it because the alternative is spending the rest of eternity six feet under. The bottom line is either listen to experts or listen to idiots, and listening to the experts is the way to go. Because if you listen to idiots you’re the one who will ultimately lose in the long run.

World-renowned guitarist Eric Clapton has emerged as a public face against COVID-19 vaccines and mandates, and a new report claiming he gave funds to an anti-vax band drew the ire of

Reid excoriated the 76-year-old musician in her "The Absolute Worst" segment on the Monday edition of MSNBC's The ReidOut program. Along with Clapton protesting vaccines, the broadcaster took exception with him comparing lockdowns to slavery.

She noted how the lyrics of a recent anti-lockdown song he recorded with Van Morrison, which includes the line, "Do you want to be a free man or do you want to be a slave?"
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While also referencing comedian Jim Breuer's recent anti-mandate remarks, Reid said that "what really stands out about white anti-vaxxers, in particular, is they act like their freedom has been taken from them and they have this weird habit of trying to do that by co-opting the history of actually oppressed people."

"Yeah, because getting a free vaccine is exactly like slavery and Jim Crow," she said.

During the segment, Reid also brought up racist statements Clapton made in the past. Most infamous were his comments made during a 1976 concert in Birmingham, England. He told the audience that night to, among other things, "stop Britain from becoming a black colony" and to "keep Britain white."
https://www.newsweek.com/joy-reid-slams-eric-clapton-donating-anti-vax-group-what-he-has-said-vaccines-1638206

Yeah so that’s anti-vaccination crusader Eric Clapton. That’s this week’s:

[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to our segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable – Conspiracy Corner! We’re coming to you live from our underground doomsday bunker deep in the alkali flats of 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 your thoughts you know! Here’s the thing folks – we’re not making fun of the murder of Gabby Petito at all. I cannot stress that enough. But what we can make fun of is the situation at hand. Last week we talked about how things got ridiculous when Dog The Bounty Hunter got involved. But there’s far more to his involvement than meets the eye. And trust us when I say that the more you go down the wormhole on this, the weirder it gets. It starts with Dog The Bounty Hunter canceling his appearance at Hazzard Fest – an annual celebration of the TV show “The Dukes Of Hazzard”. You’ll have to excuse the TMZ link.

Dog the Bounty Hunter is skipping a scheduled gig with fans to keep grinding on his search for Brian Laundrie -- speaking to how seriously the guy's taking this manhunt.

A rep for Duane Chapman tells TMZ ... Dog will NOT be appearing this weekend at Hazzard Fest in Tennessee, where he was booked for a celeb meet-and-greet alongside the likes of folks like 'Duck Dynasty' stars, 'Swamp People' stars and other A&E famous faces.

Dog's presence at Hazzard was announced in mid-September ... and he was probably booked well ahead of that. However, in light of his recent involvement in the Laundrie search ... we're told he's forgoing Hazzard to keep working -- which is his top priority right now.

In his place ... Dog's son, Leland Chapman, will show up and shake hands on behalf of his pops.

Long story short, it's clear Dog is taking this assignment to heart ... and, as it turns out, he plans to see it through 'til the end -- no matter how long it takes, we're told. His rep says Dog will stay on Laundrie's trail so long as viable tips come in, and there's still belief he may be out there and alive.
https://www.tmz.com/2021/10/05/dog-the-bounty-hunter-cancels-hazzard-fest-appearance-focus-brian-laundrie-search/

So that happened. Then from there it gets even more ridiculous. Apparently he went to Brian Laundrie’s house for some reason. But two things – one – why am I not at all surprised that this story is taking place in Florida? And second why would you leave a vacation to find this out? OK I’m done trying to understand this story, it’s getting too weird even for a segment that explores conspiracy theories and all the batshit crazy things that the right does.

Television's Dog the Bounty Hunter is joining the search for Brian Laundrie, the only person wanted in connection with Gabby Petito's disappearance. Saturday afternoon, the reality star was seen banging on the screen door of the North Port home Brian shares with his parents.

The family did not answer and Duane "Dog" Chapman, along with his wife, left the home after a few minutes. Police were seen shortly afterward entering the Laundrie home and exiting within moments.

Chapman was already in Florida on a honeymoon with his wife Francie, he told FOX News, when people began reaching out to him to look into Laundrie’s disappearance.

Dog and Francie are currently searching the community where Brian Laundrie was last seen, but the preserve is closed to all but law enforcement.

Crews continued searching Saturday, having already combed the whole north side and much of the Venice side of the reserve.

"We are not wasting our time out here. We are doing our due diligence to find Brian in an area that intelligence had led us that he could possibly be in," Fussell explained Friday.
https://www.fox13news.com/news/dog-the-bounty-hunter-joins-the-search-for-brian-laundrie

Wait wait wait wait… so let me get this straight. You’re in Florida to hunt down Brian Laundrie or you’re in Florida because you’re on vacation and just happened to vacation near Brian Laundrie’s house? I am getting mixed signals here. But guess what? Dog may be using this case to launch a platform for a new reality series. That’s right – he’s interested in this case because it will help catapult his TV career? And why wouldn’t it? It already got an episode of South Park, what more do you want?

As Dog the Bounty Hunter makes his way back into the news by chasing down Brian Laundrie — the person of interest after his fiancée, Gabby Petito, was found dead in Wyoming — he’s also plotting his return to TV. Thinkfactory Media, the producers behind WE TV’s “Marriage Boot Camp” and “Mama June: From Not to Hot” and TBS’ “Rat in the Kitchen,” among other hit reality franchises, is currently shopping a new series starring the Dog.

Dog the Bounty Hunter, of course, is Duane “Dog” Chapman, who starred in A&E’s “Dog the Bounty Hunter” for eight seasons. Later, Chapman and his wife, Beth, starred in the CMT series “Dog and Beth: On the Hunt,” which ran for two years. A&E chronicled Beth Chapman’s cancer diagnosis in the 2017 special “Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives.”

Most recently, WGN America ran the series “Dog’s Most Wanted,” which aired in fall 2019. Another series, “Dog’s Unleashed,” was originally set to run on the streaming service UnleashedTV, but was later scrapped.

Thinkfactory is currently working with Chapman on pitching the new show, believed to follow Chapman’s day-to-day life and his exploits. That could include his current activities — and he’s back in the headlines as he leads a bounty hunting expedition to find Laundrie. Chapman has been posting video on social media of his search, including one on Wednesday in which he detailed his “active and specific search in a key area based on the intelligence we are receiving and researching. Boat crews and ground teams have been called in and we have search and rescue dogs deployed.”
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/dog-the-bounty-hunter-duane-chapman-brian-laundrie-manhunt-tv-series-1235077177/

Now here’s where it gets weird. You didn’t think it could possibly get much weirder did you? Well I say you’re wrong! And here’s the thing – if Dog The Bounty Hunter actually succeeds in helping the police capture Brian Laundrie – and he absolutely should be brought to justice – then I will gladly chew on my tin foil hat and admit that I was wrong about this whole thing. But for now this entire thing clearly sits in the “too ridiculous to make up” counter.

Dog the Bounty Hunter is leaving the hunt for Brian Laundrie in Florida after suffering an ankle injury, according to reports. But he isn’t calling off the search just yet.

Dog, whose real name is Duane Chapman, returned home to Colorado to meet with his doctor following the ankle injury, according to WFLA. He had been searching for Laundrie since Sept. 27 after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Laundrie, 23, has been missing since Sept. 17, shortly after he returned home from a cross-country trip with his girlfriend, Gabby Petito. Petito was later found dead in Wyoming.

According to WFLA, Chapman’s search for Laundrie is not over.

“He’s put together a talented network of local team members he calls the ‘Florida Team’ that will continue the search while he’s gone,” the report said. “He says he will continue to process leads in Colorado while he’s there.”
https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2021/10/dog-the-bounty-hunter-injured-during-search-for-brian-laundrie-returns-home.html

[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 that the idea behind this segment is that we have some drinks, and we talk about anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. This week we’re taking a look at the growing phenomenon of celebrities who refuse to take a shower. Yeah it’s a disgusting subject, I know. So tell me bartender, what goes well with a story about BO? The BO cocktail? What’s in it? Why don’t you just bottle that and sell it as a COVID cure to idiots who refuse to get the vaccine? All right I’ll go partners with you. In the meantime I want my usual Jack Daniels mixed with Jack Daniels. I mean come on, we’re in Salt Lake City. We have to jump through hoops for our booze! But this week we’re going to talk about the phenomenon of the stinky celebrity. It’s been reported that a growing number of celebrities are among those who refuse to shower. So what is going on exactly? Well it just seems like it’s one after another after another!

From juice cleanses to keto diets, and more recently, anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, it seems wealthy celebrities always have something to say about how we, the humble poors and normies, should be living our best, healthiest lives. This sort of out-of-touch prescriptivism is, after all, the stuff of multi-million dollar celebrity lifestyle brands, from Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop to Kourtney Kardashian's Poosh. If we try this life hack or that, our lives will supposedly become like those of the celebrities we're taught to worship.

Enter: the celebrity bath debate, that's split up an entire roster of A-listers into Team Shower vs. Team Anti-Shower. Somewhere in the shuffle between noting the shower statuses of Chris Evans and Cardi B, one has to take a step back and ask themselves, what does any of this really mean? Why do we, as a culture, even care? And is anyone really all that shocked that Jake Gyllenhal doesn't bathe? To answer these and other questions requires us to go back to the start, when the controversy first emerged earlier this summer.

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis got us started in July when they opened up about only bathing their children when they start to smell, and fellow celeb parents Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard co-signed. What followed was a symphony of celebrity confessions and rebuffs.
https://www.salon.com/2021/08/17/celebrity-bathing-kutcher-kunis-gyllenhaal/

Ah I needed that! So that’s the entire thing about celebrities – they’re weird. We get it. But that’s why they’re celebrities. It’s why Gwenyth Paltrow sells a $100 candle called “This Smells Like My Vagina” that exploded. Yeah picture that for a minute. I’m getting off topic here. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, and there’s plenty of bizarre celebrity behavior that could span over several editions of our favorite segment here. But none have gone as far as Paul Wall who doesn’t even wear deodorant! Get the puke bucket ready!

Just when you thought the great shower debate was over, 97.9 The Box kicked it back into gear. We recently witnessed celebrities coming forward to reveal that they didn't shower daily. Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Jake Gyllenhall, and several others admitted that they do not have a habit of showering daily, and Paul Wall has joined the list.

He appeared on 97.9 and was asked about his routine. “Every few days. I’m not gonna say—‘Few’ is like more than two, so it could mean three, it could be thirteen maybe," the rapper joked. "Today is shower day.”

Wall also stated that he does not wear deodorant for health reasons. "I used to, but when I stopped—it’s something you gotta get out of your system—but when I stopped wearing deodorant, I stopped getting as funky when I sweat. I don’t know if it’s just a hormone thing when I got older. Maybe it’s ’cause I got older, I don’t know.”

The rapper said that his wife and children continue to wear deodorant even though he has chosen not to. Wall was insistent that he does not smell bad and cited the "aluminum in deodorant" as the reason why he has opted to not use certain products. Swipe below to listen to the rapper explain himself in full.
https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/paul-wall-doesnt-shower-daily-explains-why-he-no-longer-wears-deodorant-news.139410.html

Yes, we like our booze in mass quantities here! And me being the host of the show, I get my drinks comped! But that said, there’s not all celebrities who are refusing to cleanse themselves. The antidote to this madness comes from Jason Momoa. Yes, Aquaman himself has the cure for the BS. That’s right – he’s the king of the fucking water, and that’s according to his words. So why wouldn’t he want to bathe or use a pool? Good question!

After the trend of celebrities sharing their controversial bathing habits went viral, Aquaman star Jason Momoa made his position on personal hygiene clear while doing press for his upcoming movie, Sweet Girl. Momoa first hit the scene in 1999 playing Jason Ioane on Baywatch: Hawaii. However, it wasn't until 2011 when he truly stepped into the spotlight after playing Khal Drogo in the first two seasons of HBO's hit fantasy series, Game of Thrones. Since 2011, Momoa has portrayed the half-human, half-Atlantean superhero, Aquaman (a.k.a. Arthur Curry), in the DCEU.

Celebrity hygiene has—strangely enough—become a trending topic in recent weeks, sparking somewhat of a Hollywood bathing debate. The conversation started when Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher told Dax Shepard that they don't bathe daily, Kunis adding: "I don't wash my body with soap every day." They also explained that they didn't wash their kids daily when they were young, raising some eyebrows from readers, and yes⁠, other celebs. On Twitter, Dwayne Johnson said that he's "the opposite of a 'not washing themselves' celeb," and showers at least 3 times a day. Other A-listers have taken their sides, with Shepard's wife, Kristen Bell, and actor Jake Gyllenhaal agreeing with Kunis and Kutcher's more casual approach to bathing. Jodie Turner-Smith, on the other hand, reacted by tweeting: "Before you lot even ask: in this house, we bathe."

In an interview with Access Hollywood alongside co-star Isabel Merced, the whole celebrity showering debate came up in conversation. Momoa insisted that while other celebs might skip out on their daily hygiene rituals, he prefers to stay squeaky clean. Momoa told the interviewer, "I'm Aquaman. I'm in the f–king water. Don't worry about it. I'm Hawaiian. We got saltwater on me. We good."
https://screenrant.com/aquaman-jason-momoa-celebrity-shower-bathe-response/

So now you might be asking “what’s the solution?”. Well I answer you sir / madam, with a simple “I don’t know”. But is going au natural the solution? Well you’re about half right. It turns out that the human need for showering and cleanliness stems out of fear. The most obvious targets being the smelly kids in middle school. You know, kind of like Pig Pen from the old Peanuts cartoons. Ask yourself this – do you want to be Pig Pen or do you want to be like Mila Kunis? Yeah that’s a weird question, but I am kind of drunk right now. No wait, I’m extremely drunk.

This summer, we as an adoring, dutiful public watched in horror as our glamorous perception of celebrities was shattered thanks to waves of rich and famous people coming out as proudly … dirty. The people we’re supposed to hold up as the pinnacle of beauty, taste, and presumably hygiene set the internet ablaze with seemingly endless interviews in which they reveal that they are forgoing the traditional bathing schedule for something a little more, how do you say, au naturel. It turns out all that glitters is in fact not gold, and maybe on top of that is kind of stinky. Well, I’m coming to you today, dear reader, to potentially ruin my own life by saying that actually, this is not that big of a deal. I’m here to stand up for our celebrity brethren and defend their right to be a little bit crusty.

First, I think it’s important to note that I am riddled with personal biases. For example, I have in my past claimed to be a “lil stinker,” which I define as someone who showers when needed based on smell and comfort but not necessarily a daily schedule, and who doesn’t really wear deodorant unless I’m going to something where it would be actively impolite to sweat (think: warm-weather funeral). Does this lead to me being “gross”? My internal polling of those close to me has led me to believe that I am of neutral scent and therefore completely inoffensive (there’s obviously room for error in the event that everyone is lying to me, but I cannot go down that rabbit hole). I guess my deal is mostly like: Some days I don’t shower … and that’s okay.
https://www.vulture.com/2021/08/the-stinky-celebrities-are-right.html

[font size="8"]Red State Diaries
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Welcome back to our segment exploring what the MAGA cult is up to in Red State Diaries. Last week, we came back with a vengeance because the Former Guy is going out on his Out For Justice tour. And do we need to point out the fact that Steven Segal has moved to Moscow and is heavily involved with the Russian government? Do we really need to? Of course if you’re following us you already know that so we are moving on! But what we are going to do this week – the Former Guy went to Iowa and was once again spewing his bullshit. And this is in front of a crowd that will willfully ingest medication that’s meant for farm animals. But why is this his craziest rally yet? And we’ve been covering these damn things from the beginning. Well when Trump can no longer barf his brain on social media, he gets very weird. And what’s really alarming is that people who condemned his involvement in the January 6th riots like Charles Grassley for instance, are now none too happy to bend over and kiss his ass. Which is actually a pretty disgusting sight.

While Donald Trump has held several rallies since the January 6 Capitol insurrection, his rally in Iowa Saturday was the most alarming by far.

At Trump's past post-presidency events, you wouldn't find the state's leading GOP officials attending en masse. In fact, at a rally in Georgia last month, Trump railed against the state's Republican leaders for refusing to assist him in illegally overturning the 2020 election. Trump even told the crowd he'd prefer potential Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams as governor over his fellow Republican who's currently in office, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

Saturday's rally in Iowa, though, was different. This one was attended by longtime Iowa US Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson, and other mainstream Republican officials. Some of these very same people, who just nine months ago were slamming Trump for his role in the Capitol riots, were now only too happy to be seen supporting him. This is politics at its worst -- and at its most dangerous for our democracy.

The most hypocritical of the bunch is Sen. Grassley, who on January 6 was escorted by his security detail to a secure location to protect him from the pro-Trump mob that had laid siege on the Capitol. Grassley, who voted to certify the 2020 election, made a veiled reference to Trump in his statement, noting that the lawsuits filed after the election had failed and that "politicians in Washington should not second guess the courts once they have ruled."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/10/opinions/trump-iowa-rally-gop-embrace-obeidallah/index.html

Yeah so Charles Grassley had an independent thought and now the Former Guy has reeled him in, made him kiss his proverbial feet and now he is firmly back in with the cult. But now he’s either “Make America Great Again, Again” or “Save America” depending on where the location is. This time it was Save America. But you can’t deny how intentionally awful the phrase “Make America Great Again, Again” is. It’s like a 1st grader wrote this who thought he was funny repeating the same word twice.

Former President Trump’s latest stop was Des Moines, Iowa, as he made the rounds across the United States to fire up his political supporters.

Iowa is the first state in the nation to hold presidential nomination precinct caucuses.

Trump made several familiar claims in the state he won in the 2020 election — some were true, and others were either exaggerated or outright false — especially his claims of election fraud.

Conjecture that former President Donald Trump is seeking back the White House job he held for four years continued to generate news— and fact checks — in Iowa on Saturday night, Oct. 9.

Trump’s latest visit was a Save America Rally that drew thousands of people to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, and was run by Trump’s Save America PAC.

We checked some of the Republican former president’s Iowa comments. Many are familiar from previous appearances across the country. But, they bear paying attention to because Iowa has held the nation’s first presidential nominating precinct caucuses and, so far, figures to do so again in 2024.

"Just this week the latest Des Moines Register poll showed that Biden is a record low, 31 percent approval in Iowa … While your all-time favorite president … is at a record high, the highest we’ve ever been."
https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/oct/11/fact-checking-former-president-donald-trumps-iowa-/

Yes, holy shit indeed! If Iowa’s poll numbers don’t alarm you then you’re not paying attention! But what’s even more alarming is that the right is talking about the prospect of civil war. Now here’s the thing – most of Trump’s base is vehemently anti-vaccine. So how the hell can we expect them to fight a civil war when most of their people are dead or dying from COVID? It’s absolute insanity I tell you! I just can’t even with these people.

Civil War" was a top trending topic on Twitter on Sunday after remarks from an attendee of former President Donald Trump's rally in Iowa were widely circulated online and by the media.

Trump held a rally at the Iowa State Fairground in Des Moines on Saturday. At the event, Trump supporter Lori Levi told MSNBC that she believes the U.S. is headed for a "civil war." Levi criticized Democrats and Republicans, saying most members of the GOP are "as weak as they possibly could be in Congress."

"They're establishment. They don't care about the American people because they're in their elite little tower," she said. "So we're just sick of it, you know, and we're not going to take it anymore. I see a civil war coming. I do. I see civil war coming."

As of Sunday afternoon, the term "Civil War" had been tweeted nearly 67,000 times as it trended on the major social media platform. Many were criticizing Trump supporters and the right-wing "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement. Some also tried to offer solutions to the current divide within American society.
https://www.newsweek.com/civil-war-trends-twitter-after-iowa-trump-rally-attendees-remarks-go-viral-1637410

Yeah civil war right. Fuck you. That’s like the worst possible thing you could do, and the ramifications could last years and even decades. If you think getting a fucking vaccine in your arm is going to inconvenience you? Just wait until a war breaks out. Yeah it’s no reason why we should be headed that way but we’re more divided than ever. It’s going to be the “HEY! THEY LOOK LIKE DORKS” defense that lights this powder keg. But with many of them dead or dying from COVID, don’t expect this war to get past the planning stages.

“The man just refuses to go away,” he said of Donald Trump, who held a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday in which he “repeated the same deranged lies about the election that he’s been repeating for months”.

Trump ranted about Pennsylvania and claimed he won the election in the state because at one point, he was ahead during the vote count. “Yet even his own crowd wasn’t exactly electrified by hearing the same old incoherent nonsense over and over again,” said Meyers. “I love the cutaways to sullen Trump fans just standing there in silence like tourists watching one of those gold statue guys in Times Square.”

“And you can tell Trump was waiting for a crowd reaction, too,” he added. “It’s like watching an open mic night at the senior center.”

While Meyers called it “liberating” to not “think or care about what this lunatic says or does on a daily basis”, the Republican party remains “fully devoted to Trump”. The Iowa senator Chuck Grassley joined Trump at his rally in the state, and on Fox News Sunday, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House’s No 2 Republican, refused to deny Trump’s big lie of election fraud.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/12/seth-meyers-trump-jimmy-kimmel-fallon

[font size="4"]Next Week: [/font]

MAGA wants a war? We’ll give them some stats that show them that they’ve got a lot of building to do and even then they still won’t win!

[font size="4"]And Now This: [/font]
[font size="4"]Twenty One Pilots [/font]

Folks my next guest are one of the best bands to break out in the last 10 years. You can see them on the Takeover Tour through Nov. 4th! Playing their song “Saturday”, give it up for Twenty One Pilots!

Thank you Salt Lake City! We had an awesome time. Unfortunately our show next week in Seattle got canceled (Holy Shit will still air as scheduled) but we will be back on 10/28 live from Sacramento with our Halloween special with live music from our good friend Rob Zombie!

Credits

Host: Initech
Top 10 Conservative Idiots Recorded At: Zanies Comedy Club, Salt Lake City, UT
Twenty One Pilots appear courtesy of: Fueled By Ramen, LLC
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Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo

October 10, 2021

Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons Episode 1: The Church That Literally Answers Your Prayers

Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons Episode 1: The Church That Literally Answers Your Prayers

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:

Welcome to the first ever edition of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons! We are offering to you the first ever episode of this brand new series with new expanded and revised content! How this is going to work is we will expand the first two sermons between each episode that you normally see in our regular Holy Shit feature in the Top 10 Conservative Idiots. We will also expand with any additional content that we might find, as well as in the third slot we will answer your prayers from the Holy Shit prayer line, which you can find at the official Holy Shit Twitter feed at: @churchoftop10. You can also e-mail us at any time with your prayers, concerns, hate mail, or suggestions for new topics! In this week’s episode we take a look at the wacky world of evangelical conspiracy theories (1) while Pat Robertson (2) retires and we take a look at the 700 Club’s greatest hits. And we close this week by answering your prayers from the Holy Shit Hotline To Heaven! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]Evangelical Conspiracy Theories
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Now I notice a great many of you happen to be wearing tin foil hats today. That is because conspiracy theories are running a foul with our brothers and sisters on the right side of things. Now let me ask you this – why are religious people so prone to believing in insane conspiracy theories? Well there’s no real answer for that but it seems like the crazier they are the more likely they are to believe them. But when you have pastors and podcasts that they listen to who are peddling these theories, they’re part of the problem. And I’m sure that’s not what our good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now is it? But let’s take a look at some of the insane theories that they believe in and there’s plenty of them to pick from. Well for starters let’s start with our old buddy David Barton who is a religious “historian” that gets it wrong every single time. Well wait until you hear his latest piece of claptrap! This might be one of his most insane theories yet!

Religious-right activist David Barton is currently traveling the country as part of the Faith Wins “American Restoration Tour,” spreading his right-wing pseudo-history in churches in an effort to mobilize conservative Christians heading into the 2022 midterm elections.

On Monday, Barton spoke at Mountain View Baptist Church in Cowpens, South Carolina, where he claimed that the Bible instructs religious leaders to take responsibility for recruiting candidates to run for office.

“If you go to Exodus 18:21, the Bible is very clear,” Barton said. “The Bible says, ‘Provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.’ OK, guys, let’s have elections. Let’s have local, county, state, and federal elections.”

“But how do you get those [candidates]?” Barton asked. “Who does that providing? It’s interesting: the spiritual leader. Moses says—and he repeats this in Deuteronomy 1 and Deuteronomy 16—he says, ‘I went and recruited from among you good people, and I brought them before you and set them before you, and you chose from among those good people.’ In other words, ‘I recruited candidates for office, and then you elected the candidate you wanted to office.’ So what happens is there’s a recruiting effort going on in the background. Moses is the one who did it.”

As we have noted before, Barton intentionally misrepresents this passage from the Bible in order to promote his own right-wing political agenda.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/david-barton-says-the-bible-instructs-religious-leaders-to-recruit-political-candidates-for-office/

That is most certainly true, Fluffy! But you know that part of the problem is that today’s active religious fundamentalists think that they’re waging a spiritual war, and that war is digital. It’s not being fought on a battlefield, it’s being fought on your Facebook and Instagram accounts! So when you have most of the religious body being convinced that they’re soldiers fighting a war, and that war is being waged on conspiracy theories, this is what you get!

QAnon conspiracy theorists have long fancied themselves “digital soldiers” whose skills at posting dank memes and owning libs on the internet plays a key role in former President Donald Trump’s purported operation to take down the global network of satanic pedophiles that supposedly secretly runs the world.

Dave Hayes, who built a reputation as a leading “decoder” of Q posts under the handle “Praying Medic” until he was booted from most major social media platforms for spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation, takes his role as a “digital soldier” very seriously. Appearing on fellow QAnon conspiracy theorist Greg Harvey’s livestream program Monday, Hayes said that he and other QAnon activists are the online equivalent of the special forces in the military who have been trained to overcome any obstacle in order to achieve their objective.

“The thing that we have to realize as anons is that we went through a three-year course of training and equipping to detect, expose, and help wake other people up to the realities of corruption through Q,” Hayes said. “Q’s operation … was a training course to teach us how to do research in such a way that we could detect corruption and then find a way to make that information available to the public.”

“We have been trained for years to do exactly what we’re doing,” he continued. “Even though we don’t necessarily know what’s coming in the future, we have been trained to deal with whatever comes. It’s like being in the special forces in the military. Special forces groups don’t necessarily know what plans, what attacks, what kind of opposition they’re going to face when they go into a certain territory. When they’re doing an operation, they don’t necessarily know the troop strength that’s going to oppose them, they don’t know how well armed their enemy is, but they rely on their training, they rely on the fact that they are trained and equipped, and they’re able to overcome whatever obstacle is set in front of them.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/dave-hayes-says-being-a-qanon-conspiracy-theorist-is-like-being-in-the-special-forces/

Now here’s where it gets weird, because you know it was going to! One of the strangest people ever elected to Congress is the bizarre Madison Cawthorn, who is firmly on the side of the unholy, ungodly Dark One! I of course speak of a man who is so foul, vile, and disgusting that his name dare not be spoken in my church! But as I have stated, when you have people convinced they’re fighting “spiritual warfare”, these are the kind of crackpots that are going to come out of the woodwork!

Several Republican members of Congress, North Carolina state legislators, various candidates for office, and radical religious-right activists gathered at Temple Baptist Church in Mount Airy, North Carolina, last weekend for the North Carolina Faith & Freedom Coalition’s “Salt & Light Conference.”

Among the politicians in attendance was Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who used his time in front of his home state crowd to declare that he is waging a “spiritual battle” in the supposedly “evil and vile” Washington, D.C., against people like Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her “cold, evil eyes.”

“I believe that the power of prayer will save this country in the coming decades,” Cawthorn said. “When I’m in Washington, D.C., I know a lot of you consider the place to be evil and vile, and I am here to tell you with first-hand knowledge, it is evil and vile. But I will tell you when I’m there, I don’t feel an overwhelming sense of darkness as if the devil has complete dominion of that area because I feel a spiritual battle going on on Capitol Hill. And patriots like all of you in this room, on your knees, praying that we have the cover within the spiritual fight is what it will take to save this country.”

“I have to look Nancy Pelosi in her cold, evil eyes every single day,” he continued. “She just passed a bill yesterday trying to say that we can abort babies on demand all the way up until right before the day of birth. When we hear this, when we hear the fact that if a baby comes through a botched abortion alive, sitting there on the table, they then still have the right to murder that child, we realize that when I quip and say, ‘I look her in her cold, evil eyes,’ it’s not a joke. These people hate us.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/rep-madison-cawthorn-is-waging-a-spiritual-battle-against-evil-and-vile-washington-d-c/

Yes, high fis and boob tubes are great, Reverend! But you know what’s not great? Having to deal with insane conspiracy theorists on a daily basis! I do love talking about conspiracy theories because a lot of times they’re stranger than fiction, and the people who actually believe them are even stranger! Now what happens when Christian nationalist theories are put into practice? Well let’s just say these people actually believe this stuff and they’re not going away!

Rick Scarborough, a self-described “Christocrat,” strident anti-LGBTQ activist, and longtime critic of public education, is raising money for his group Recover America to help elect right-wing candidates to school boards in three Houston-area school districts, which are among the nation’s largest.

Right Wing Watch has reported that an array of right-wing political groups are mobilizing this year to take over local school boards in an effort to reverse LGBTQ-inclusive policies, stifle teaching about racism, and more. The Leadership Institute, one of the groups that is encouraging and training right-wing activists to take over school boards across the country, held campaign workshops in Houston and Temple, Texas, on Sept. 18.

Recover America’s website says its purpose is to work “for a revival in America resulting in a nation where Biblical values are embraced, and decency is restored” and that its mission is “to mobilize Pastors and Church Leaders to use their influence to register, educate and mobilize values-based citizens to vote their Biblical values on Election Day.” The group’s vice president, Hunter Kelly, is a former staffer for Republican Sens. Tim Scott and Josh Hawley.

Scarborough discussed his group’s plans this week on two episodes of his podcast, “Mixing Church and State God’s Way,” which is promoted via the Charisma podcasting network, an arm of Steven Strang’s Pentecostal-oriented media empire. On a Sept. 20 episode of the podcast, Scarborough claimed it is a “tragic reality” that “the church is so absent in the current moral conflict our country’s found itself in.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/christian-nationalist-rick-scarborough-targets-houston-area-public-school-boards/

Probably or maybe not depending on how these crazy people act on their beliefs!

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[font size="8"]Holy Shit: Pat Robertson Retires
[br] [/font] [br]

My fair congregation! I don’t need to tell you that you’re in the audience for the taping of the pilot episode of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons, but that’s neither here nor there. That said we’re going to do something a bit different this week. Think of this as the lecture where we blow off our plans and just show a whole bunch of videos for the class. This week there’s been a massive shakeup in the holy community. That’s right – the long time host of the religious TV favorite the 700 Club is stepping down from his reign of terror. Yes, that man has done more damage to the collective psyche of Americans than any terrorist could ever do. Now that said, we’re going to dedicate this week’s sermon to recapping his greatest hits. Yes, he may not agree with the unholy, ungodly Dark One, a man so disgusting, foul and vile that his name dare not be spoken in my church! But that doesn’t excuse him from decades of foul, bigoted behavior or his multitudes of conspiracy theories that have been left in his wake. So here’s what is happening. No longer will you see his vile and disgusting rhetoric on the 700 Club anymore. Get ready for a whole new wave of disgusting rhetoric!

Televangelist Pat Robertson announced Friday that he would be stepping down as host of his Christian Broadcasting Network's (CBN) flagship show "The 700 Club" after six decades on the program.

The 91-year-old unveiled the news during the show's 60th anniversary broadcast, saying that he will still be joining CBN broadcasts for special projects in the future but would be putting his focus on teaching at Regent University, the Virginia Beach private Christian school he founded in 1977.

"Today's show will be my final as host of 'The 700 Club,'" Robertson said Friday, adding that his replacement "will be my very capable son, Gordon, who will take over as full-time host of the program."

Gordon Robertson, who has already served as co-host and executive producer of "The 700 Club" for two decades, said in a statement Friday, "'Good and faithful' doesn't even begin to describe my father's service to CBN for 60 years."

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pat-robertson-steps-down-as-700-club-host-after-60-years/ar-AAP2FsM?li=BB141NW3&ocid=DELLDHP

Now there’s where you are wrong. Because Pat Robertson is a man who I would not exactly call “good”, instead he’s the opposite. The man is pure evil and bigoted. He’s advocated for things like domestic abuse and said that JAYSUS should steal the election for the unholy Dark One! But this might be one of my favorite 700 Club clips. This is something that was said. On television.

And this is another one of my favorites. Apparently did you know that if you buy your clothing from a second hand store it could be filled with DAYMONS??? That’s right!

Then of course there’s one of my favorite clips of what he said about earthquakes. Did you know that devastating earthquakes are “blessings in disguise”? Only in Pat Robertson’s senile, warped mind!

Then there was that time when he advocated for divorcing a wife who has alzheimer’s. Yeah that’s a horrible way to go but also a horrible way to treat a person. Again, this is in his senile brain that we are talking about here, and that’s not something that the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want!

Now seriously imagine what it takes to not only say something that batshit insane but to also believe that what you are saying is right. Imagine saying that a husband cheating on his wife is right – that’s not what we believe here!

Or my personal favorite – how about that time he got name dropped during that war crimes trial at the Hague no more than a mere 10 years ago? That’s right – a so called man of GAWD is implicated in war crimes! How about that?

And then of course who could forget my all time favorite Pat Robertson quote? Yes, sir. That one. You know the one – a grieving mother calls into the 700 Club about having a miscarriage. You know Mr. Robertson responded? Well with about the most horrible response humanly possible:

So that said I am glad that you indulged me as I went through some of his greatest hits. Because I can’t believe someone would sit through something like that? But that said what can we expect from the new leader of the 700 Club? Well pretty much – and I quote the Who – meet the new boss, same as the old boss! Now that said, I don’t know what direction the 700 Club will go in but you can rest assured that we’ll cover every batshit crazy thing that comes out of that show!

TV evangelist Pat Robertson marked the 60-year anniversary of his Christian Broadcasting Network by announcing he was stepping down from its popular “700 Club” morning show and handing hosting duties to his son, Gordon Robertson.

“I will no longer be the host of the ‘700 Club,’” Robertson told his audience on Friday’s program. “I thank God for everyone that’s been involved. And I want to thank all of you.”

The 91-year-old entrepreneur began his religious broadcasting empire in 1961 after buying a bankrupt UHF television station in Portsmouth, Va. The CBN’s “700 Club,” which launched Oct. 1, 1966, appealed to viewers by using a network-style talk-show format to communicate with Robertson’s followers as opposed to having speakers preach from a pulpit.

That allowed the Yale graduate to discuss the news of the day, infused with Christian messaging, in an accessible fashion for television watchers.
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-pat-roberston-retires-700-club-20211001-omo7vpfzvnauxnv4dkcwid5ij4-story.html

So yeah that’s Pat Robertson for you. We can’t let him get away with the things he said in the past even if he’s started to right the ship. The damage has been done.

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[font size="8"]The Holy Shit Hotline To Heaven
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Welcome to the Holy Shit Hotline To Heaven! How this is going to work is that this is a free form segment where we answer your prayers coming from around the country. No subject is off the table, no subject is too taboo. And not only that we get to show you some of our favorite clips of right wing pastors and congregations behaving extremely poorly. And of course I don’t need to remind you that this week is the annual Values Voters Summit, which is now for some reason called the “Pray Vote Stand” festival. And I think they might be trying to skirt around IRS 501c rules. Because the separation of church and state seems like it doesn’t exist anymore and that line is fading and fading and fading. But that said how this is going to work is that we are going to answer your prayers from the Holy Shit Hotline to Heaven which can be found at our official Twitter feed at @churchoftop10. So if you’ve got a prayer that you want answered, let’s hear it!

Joseph C. from Reno, Nevada writes in:

“Heavenly father

I have friends that are becoming increasingly radicalized on online social media platforms. Why does the Christian right think that we’re engaged in a war? I pray for their salvation and hope that they see the light on what they are doing.”

Well, brother Joseph. If you have friends that are becoming radicalized and indoctrinated on social media platforms, look no further than their pastors. Who are increasingly flaunting the rules regarding the separation of church and state. Make no mistake that they are coming for the Johnson Amendment and if they get a hold of that, there will be no stopping them! Just look at what religious leaders are saying and how they are becoming increasingly radicalized. The phrase “prayer warrior” is not to be taken literally in this or any context!

Evangelist and right-wing activist Mario Murillo told a group of self-proclaimed “prayer warriors” Friday that “the Christian righteous army of God” is rising up against the Democratic Party, “wokeness,” and perversion. Declaring that there can be no compromise in such a battle, Murillo said that pastors and activists must see themselves as “wartime Christians” as he prayed that God’s judgment and “fire” would fall on the nation’s “evildoers.”

Murillo was speaking on a monthly prayer call hosted by Intercessors for America, a network of right-wing pastors and religious-right activists who were closely aligned with the Trump White House and campaign. IFA leader Dave Kubal, a member of the Trump campaign’s recently reinvigorated faith advisory board, claimed that “a few thousand” intercessors were listening to Friday’s call.

Via email and on its blog, IFA promoted the Oct. 1 call and livestream with messages from Murillo declaring, “We are now in wartime” and “You are now a wartime Christian.”

“Satan prizes the destruction of America,” Murillo told IFA’s intercessors. He went on to say that when the pilgrims landed in America, “they made a covenant with God that this would be a land that would preach the gospel.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/we-are-now-in-wartime-right-wing-activist-mario-murillo-tells-intercessors-for-americas-prayer-warriors/

So that is insane, so much to unpack there. But my favorite thing is that somehow “wokeness” is what is causing the destruction of America. That’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS says now is it? Our next prayer request comes to us from:

Melanie C. from Garden Grove, California writes:

“Heavenly Father

I pray for the salvation of my friend Kevin, for he is deeply engrossed in that Q Anon stuff after becoming radicalized on social media. Why is this happening to people who I know?

Well my fair sister, there is no explanation for this. And we’ve attempted to find answers but this is one thing that we really don’t have an answer for. If someone believes in this nonsense they can be saved but it must be taken with the careful consideration that one uses to deprogram the members of bizarre cults much like the NXIVM cult out of Hollywood. But with people like this that really isn’t helping things.

When the QAnon conspiracy theory first emerged back in 2017, Dave Hayes was one of the first prominent figures within the movement whom we began covering. Operating under the online handle of “The Praying Medic,” Hayes was one of the leading self-declared “decoders” of Q drops and had built up a substantial following on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, where his videos attempting to explain the “real meaning” behind Q’s cryptic posts regularly racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

In May 2019, Hayes used his position as one of the leading “experts” on Q to boldly declare that mass arrests of prominent Democrats and thousands of business, media, and entertainment leaders would happen within a year, which would destroy the Democratic Party for a generation.

The promised arrests, of course, never happened. What did happen is that former President Donald Trump was voted out of the White House in 2020, Q disappeared, and Hayes was banned from just about every mainstream social media platform.

But Hayes is not giving up. More than two years after he confidently and falsely predicted that mass arrests would happen within a year, Hayes is still promising that the arrests are going to happen any day now.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/qanon-conspiracy-theorist-dave-hayes-is-still-promising-that-mass-arrests-will-happen-in-the-not-too-distant-future/

Mass arrests. Shut up. They have a bizarre obsession with mass arrests and war tribunals and executions, and it’s very unhealthy. There hasn’t been any and there never will be any. Next on the hotline:

Jack H. from Santa Fe, New Mexico writes:

“Heavenly Father

Who is that creepy preacher that kind of looks like he should be playing in a death metal band? And what about that guy who thinks he’s a coach? Why do they have such crazy people on their side?”

Ah my son, you are thinking of Robin Bullock and then Dave Daubenmire. Both of these guys are some of the craziest that we’ve been following for a while.

Yeah $100 million for a guy who shouldn’t be trusted with 10 cents and a guy who thinks he’s a lead singer in a death metal band. Some crazy mofos out there but all are fine in the eyes of the LAWRD even though their world views are entirely twisted! Our final prayer this week:

Shirley H. from Lansing, Michigan writes:

“Heavenly Father

Why do Christians think that we are engaged to be in a spiritual warfare? I pray that we don’t actually come to a real holy war”.

My fair Shirley, I hear your prayers and I can tell you that is not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now is it? Our GAWD stands for peace and good will. However, that’s not what our brothers and sisters on the right would want. And people like Madison Cawthorn (Q – Batshit) certainly aren’t helping things.

Thank you my fair congregation! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! We will return on Sunday, October 24th with episode 2!

Credits

Host: Pastor Initech
Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons Recorded Live At: Laugh Factory, Long Beach, CA
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October 7, 2021

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-11: Wheel Of Corruption: No Time To Die Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-11: Wheel Of Corruption: No Time To Die Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! What’s up Long Beach? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? Great! This is of course a makeup show from when our last canceled show was and it just happened to work out. Isn’t that great when that happens? But we’ve got plenty of conservative mayhem for you this week and today is a special day – it’s the taping for the pilot episode of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons! I am so excited and I can’t wait for this to come to fruition! Tune in Sunday at 4:00 for the first episode! So do we have time for the thing? Good. OK so let's talk bathrooms. Yeah I know. Don't worry - next week we've got a great "I Need A Drink" that deals with the stanky celebrity phenomenon. But this is too really damn weird for us not to talk about it. I'm of course talking about singer - songwriter Meghan Trainor and her husband have side by side toilets. Honestly I wish I were making this up. And she says that she and her husband have really only pooped together once. Come on seriously, how is that even a thing? And what do you talk about if you're sitting on the can in the middle of taking a shit? I thought most people used that time for "doing their own research". At least that's according to the latest meme that I've seen going around. But really if you have his and hers toilets, it's at least a gag right? I just have so many questions about this. But this is just the latest in the seemingly never ending wormhole of bizarre celebrity behavior. OK enough of the intro we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first John Oliver is back and he takes a look at a toxic chemical called PFAS and more people should be made aware of it:

Where do we begin this week? The number one slot this week goes to Anti-Vaxxers (1). Because a disturbing new study found there’s no discernable difference between MAGA voters and anti-vaxxers while Youtube finally put the smackdown on anti-vaccine content! In the number two slot this week is our old buddy Alex Jones. Yes, Infowars is back in the news this week but it’s actually for a good reason – Alex just got his ass handed to him in a major defamation case! Time to lock his ass up! Taking the number 3 slot this week is the Capitol Rioters (3) and we’ve got the latest round of arrests for you as the second round of hearings starts up! Taking the number 4 slot this week is the US Economy (4). Wait, that’s not a person! Well Joe Biden helped us narrowly avoid total economic disaster as the US hits the debt ceiling. That other guy would have steered the Titanic into the iceberg! In the 5th slot this week is Joe Manchin (5). Wait, what? I thought he was a democrat! Wrong! He may be, but his voting record is anything but, and he’s bent on taking the party backwards! In the number 6 slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” and this week, Pat Robertson is saying goodbye to his long time reign as the head of the 700 Club! We’ll be happy to bring you some of his greatest hits in the world of bigotry! Taking the number 7 slot this week, we have a brand new edition of “How Is This Still A Thing?” and since next week is once again Columbus Day (7), we’re going to ask: “Columbus Day: How Is This Still A Thing?”. In the number 8 slot this week we have a new Conspiracy Corner (8) and the bizarre Gabby Petito murder mystery has everyone asking what’s the deal with “missing white girl syndrome”? We’ll bring you that plus some insane conspiracy theories, and of course Dog The Bounty Hunter gets involved! In the number 9 (NEIN!!) slot this week we have a new People Are Dumb (9) because of course they are! Finally this week we have a new edition of Red State Diaries (10) and why is the former guy hold his rallies in the middle of nowhere? And why do they draw out the weirdest people to them? We will answer those questions and more! Plus we have some live music from one of my favorite bands of all time, the almighty Pearl Jam! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]Anti-Vaxxers
[br] [/font] [br]

Hey everyone say it with me: It’s time for the WHEEL OF CORRUPTION! YAY!!!!!

Oh how I have waited for this day! Of course you know the rules by now – I spin the wheel and we have to talk about whatever it lands on. Of course if it lands on the guacamole option, you know that it costs $1.50 extra. And the wheel is all new with lots of items on it! Here’s what is on the wheel this week:

- Guns
- Abortion
- Crime
- Poverty
- Capitol Riots
- Treason
- Buy A Vowel
- Whammy
- Greed
- Food
- Elections
- The Border
- Donald Trump
- Flip Flopping
- The GOP
- Clip Without Context
- Death
- Fox News
- Vaccines
- Something Random In The News
- ‘Merica!
- Chance
- 5,000
- Homosexuality
- The US Constitution
- COVID-19
- George Soros
- Top 10 Investigates
- Conspiracy Corner
- Morally Bankrupt
- Guacamole
- Holy Shit
- Beating A Dead Horse
- This Fucking Guy
- How Is This Still A Thing?
- Red State Diaries
- Intermission
- Double Whammy
- 10,000
- People Are Dumb
- I Need A Drink
- Infowars
- Go Directly To Jail
- T-Shirt Cannon
- Lightning Round
- Bonus Spin

Let’s get this going! Spin that shit! Come on no whammy no whammy no whamm… stop! Hey it’s one of our patented Clips Without Context!

Yeah Mark, I’m pretty sure that thoughts and prayers won’t stop bullets and semi-automatics and fully automatics. Nice try though. Spin it again! And it lands on… Vaccines. Specifically anti-vaxxers. Since last year we’ve repeatedly railed on anti-vaxxers and they absolutely deserve every single last bit of shit that they get. Because they’re getting chased out of everything whether it’s schools, concerts, sporting events or their jobs. And it’s perfectly reasonable. No one wants to be ground zero for a super spreading mutant that burns out of control. So with that I say anti-vaxxers can fuck off and take their diseased asses with them. The latest place they’re getting kicked out of? Youtube! That’s right – Youtube has finally had enough with the rampant disinformation coming from anti-vaxxers that they’re cracking down on disinformation.

With the speed of a tortoise and an only recently acquired clarity of its public responsibility, YouTube has kicked off Robert F. Kennedy Jr., osteopathic physician Joseph Mercola, and others who have used the platform to spread anti-vaccine misinformation.

At least better late than never, YouTube is banning content that “falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines,” a blog post said. This expands its policy of prohibiting medical misinformation, which anti-vaxxers mistakenly feel should be protected by freedom of speech and the press.

Someone with the pedigree of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., should understand that the First Amendment was not written to allow misinformation to jeopardize public health. Freedom of the press was not designed for individuals to wantonly misappropriate technology owned by private companies and manipulate it as their own. These facts have been realized by Facebook, Twitter and now YouTube, all of which endured widespread abuse of their properties before the damage being done to the public forced their hand.

Because COVID-19 is a communicable disease, the anti-vaxxers’ propaganda potentially affects not only their health but that of innocent people. That is most certainly not their right.
https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2021/10/better-late-than-never-youtube-kicks-off-anti-vaccine-misinformants-editorial.html

Yes that’s right – even Dr. Strange is telling you to go the fuck away. Nobody wants you! And you’d think that someone as prolific as RFK Jr would know that this sort of thing isn’t OK. But the question remains what took so long? By not kicking these morons off the platform sooner, anti-vaxxers are now everywhere and it’s going to be impossible to get rid of them. Think of it like a bee hive that broke loose and now there’s killer bees everywhere. Which is not that far off of this analogy.

Here’s the best thing that can be said about YouTube’s policy, announced Wednesday, to ban prominent anti-vaccine activists such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Joseph Mercola from its platform:

It’s about time.

But that points to some important questions about YouTube’s policies on health misinformation: Why have anti-vaxxers been permitted to infect the video platform for so long? And is YouTube’s action coming too late?

Anti-vaccine material has been rife on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter for years. Indeed, they may be the prime vectors for the misinformation. Over that time, so much of it has made its way around the world that YouTube’s ban is tantamount to bailing out a sinking boat.

In announcing the ban, YouTube stated that since last year, it has removed 130,000 videos for violating its policies on COVID-19 misinformation.

Those policies ban inaccurate claims that COVID vaccines would cause death, infertility, miscarriage, autism or diseases, or that they contained fetal matter or tracking devices; content that recommended such useless nostrums for the pandemic as ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine; and many other false assertions.
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2021/oct/04/what-took-you-so-long-youtube/

Thank you Mr. DeNiro! But here’s why the influencer model is 100% grade A bullshit – it allows misinformation to run rampant. And anyone can literally say anything. Such is the case with people like Mr. Kennedy and Joseph Mercola. They’ve been flinging their bullshit against vaccines for far too long and now that we’re still in the middle of a raging pandemic, it’s finally time to shut down their bullshit once and for all!

YouTube is banning all anti-vaccine content on its platform, including misinformation about approved vaccines for common illnesses in addition to COVID-19, the company said Wednesday.

The Google-owned social media platform will remove any video that attempts to describe well-known vaccines that are approved by federal health officials as being harmful, it said in a blog post first reported by the Washington Post. That includes content claiming vaccines can cause autism, cancer, infertility, or can allow the recipient of the vaccine to be tracked via microchip.

YouTube previously had banned false information surrounding the coronavirus vaccines in October 2020. The company said it will still allow discussion around vaccine policies, new vaccine trials, and personal accounts of receiving the vaccine.

A YouTube spokesperson also confirmed to Insider that the company will remove the accounts of high-profile anti-vaxxers like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, and anti-vaccine activist and author Joseph Mercola.
https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-expands-anti-vaccine-rules-bans-prominent-anti-vaxxers-covid-2021-9

That’s right! But that said, the right wing can protest vaccine mandates all they want. But the proof is that they work. And they work very well. And they are the extinguisher that we’re going to need to put out the fire that is COVID-19. Because the longer the anti-vaccine bullshit goes on, the longer misinformation spreads, and the longer misinformation spreads, the more it puts the entire world in danger once again.

For months, President Biden resisted COVID-19 vaccination mandates because he didn't want to make the vaccines any more politicized than they already were.

But when the delta variant surged, and it became clear that most of the hardcore vaccine resistance was partisan, Biden leaned into America's newest culture war: the great mandate debate.

"We have the tools to combat COVID-19, and a distinct minority of Americans, supported by a distinct minority of elected officials, are keeping us from turning the corner," Biden said in early September when announcing new vaccine requirements. "These pandemic politics, as I refer to, are making people sick, causing unvaccinated people to die."

The requirements go beyond just mandating federal employees and health care workers get the shots. They also place obligations on larger private employers to require vaccinations or weekly testing.
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/29/1041221961/why-biden-has-taken-up-vaccine-mandates-and-the-political-fight-over-them

[font size="8"]Alex Jones
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Spin it to win it! And it lands on… no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy… stop! Guns!

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1445792712351838214

No seriously there aren’t enough facepalms in the world for this one. So I will say this: Go fuck yourself, Ted! Spin it again! Aw man do I really have to talk about Infowars? Yeah OK fine only because Alex Jones lost big time this week. I do delight when that treasonous scumbag loses. And really I think being banned from Youtube has actually helped Alex Jones, as bizarre as that sounds. But I’d like to think that this is one more proverbial nail in the Infowars coffin. Because while I normally hate talking about the sewer that is Infowars, there’s a lot of good things that happened to that scumbag this week. The first is that he got his ass handed to him yet again by the survivors of the horrible school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. And of course the fact that we have scumbag politicians like Ted Cruz as an echo chamber is horrible to say the least.

A third parent of a slain Sandy Hook child has won a defamation case against US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones who called the deadly 2012 shooting at the elementary school fake.

Neil Heslin will join two other parents — Scarlett Lewis and Lenny Pozner — who won separate defamation cases against Mr Jones last week, in having his case heard by a jury to determine damages.

On 14 December 2012, 20 children and six adults were shot dead in Sandy Hooks Elementary School, Connecticut, after a gunman opened fire in one of the worst school shootings in US history.

Mr Jones, who is the founder of right-wing website Infowars in Texas, claimed on his radio show and website that the event was “completely fake with actors,” “synthetic” and a “giant hoax” by supporters of gun control and mainstream media.

He faces a slew of legal cases by several parents of the victims. While he has acknowledged the shooting in court documents, he said that he has the right to be wrong under the First Amendment.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/sandy-hook-defamation-alex-jones-b1933089.html

Thank you Nelson! Yeah so Alex Jones got his ass handed to him yet again. How many more times do these people have to lose before society accepts them as the losers they are? They just keep losing and losing and losing and losing! But yeah Alex you shouldn’t have spent all those years calling literally every mass shooting that ever happened a hoax. Spoiler alert! They’re real! And you defaming the vicitms has dire consequences.

Alex Jones just found out the hard way that you can't just spit out dangerous nonsense and get away with it. According to files released last Thursday, a Texas judge ruled that the far-right conspiracy theorist has to pay damages to two families of children who were murdered in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre.

The plaintiffs include Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, the parents of 6-year-old Noah, the youngest to be killed in the massacre. The other is Scarlett Lewis, who lost her 6-year-old son, Jesse, in the shooting.

For years after the tragedy that left 20 children and six school employees dead, Jones told his radio and online audience of millions that the event was a "giant hoax" carried out by "crisis actors." Jones sold the big, dangerous lie that the government staged the incident as a "false flag" event that would eventually lead to the Second Amendment being abolished.

In the years after the shooting, Jones would tell his audience that "the whole thing was fake" and "pretty much didn't happen."

In 2012, Jones' Infowars website ran a news headline that read: "FBI says no one killed at Sandy Hook."
https://www.upworthy.com/court-demands-alex-jones-pay-damages-to-sandy-hook-families-for-calling-the-massacre-a-hoax

You want to know why I think Alex Jones is such a vile, rotten piece of garbage? They say you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but that’s all he does! He literally speaks ill of the dead. Any time there’s a shooting he says it didn’t happen, or the victims are fake. Or makes up some bullshit. That’s why he is such a vile piece of shit. And I am now glad that I am not the only one who thinks this way. Because the long story short is that Infowars is going down. And we will be there when the Titanic hits the iceberg.

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected, without comment, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' attempt to toss out four defamation lawsuits by parents of children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012.

The parents sued in Travis County, where Jones and his InfoWars website are based, arguing that they were defamed and suffered emotional distress after InfoWars broadcasts disputed the authenticity of the school shooting and the news coverage that followed.

Twenty young students and six adults were shot and killed at the Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Conn.

Friday's action by the Supreme Court upheld rulings by two lower courts that had allowed the lawsuits to continue.

The state's highest civil court also gave the green light to another defamation lawsuit against InfoWars and reporter Kit Daniels by a man mistakenly identified as a suspect in the 2018 shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/01/22/alex-jones-sandy-hook-parents-texas-supreme-court/6670360002/

Dude, Alex Jones is a real life Billy Madison. He tells kids that they suck. But here’s where it gets weird and you knew it was going to. Alex Jones is literally up a creek without a paddle. He’s got nothing and he’s got no defense. So you know who he’s going to subpoena? That’s right – his old arch nemesis Hillary Clinton. I mean come on that’s like Bart Simpson subpoenaing Nelson on a prank against Principal Skinner that he committed. So yeah… shut up! I bet Hillary doesn’t give him the time of day.

Alex Jones, an extremist who has previously promoted hoaxes on his Texas-based internet broadcast, has asked a Connecticut judge to subpoena Hillary Clinton, claiming she is behind a group of Sandy Hook families suing him for defamation.

Norm Pattis, one of Jones’ attorneys, said Clinton wanted revenge for Jones’ “vitriolic criticism” of her on his Infowars program.

“The defendants in this case believe that this suit was filed six years after the shootings at Sandy Hook as part of a vendetta inspired, orchestrated and directed in whole or in part by Hillary Clinton,” Pattis wrote in state Superior Court. “(It’s) part of a vendetta to silence Alex Jones after Ms. Clinton lost the presidential race to Donald J. Trump.”

Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the families, responded in court on Tuesday with a motion to sanction Jones, calling the request to depose Clinton “frivolous” and “abusive.”
https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Alex-Jones-attorney-is-trying-to-subpoena-16296248.php

[font size="8"]Capitol Riots
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Let’s spin the wheel shall we? And it lands on… wait for it…. A random tweet!

https://twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1445749433140924417

Just let me see if I have any fucks to give here… up found one!

Yeah that’s kind of how I feel. Spin it again! And it lands on… the Capitol Riots! You know the riots just keep getting weirder and weirder the more you dig into them and it’s really starting to show. For someone who runs a comedy news show about conservative idiocy, it really is the gift that keeps on giving. I know that we were all horrified by the events of that day, January 6th, 2021. But you know who wasn’t? Our old friend Marjorie Taylor Greene. While the rest of us were watching the events of that day unfold in sheer horror, it had the opposite effect on Ms. Greene, who was watching it with all the glee and slimeball energy you’d expect from a raging psychopath who regularly appears on Infowars to barf her brain to the conspiracy theorists who will listen. So yeah think about that for a minute and let it sink in to how much of an abusive jerk this woman is. And she’s the exact kind of mind that Alex Jones and Donald Trump attract.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was "gleeful" as supporters of former President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Maloney made the remarks during an interview on the latest edition of MSNBC's Deadline: White House. The congressman said he noticed unusual behavior from Greene and her staff after being evacuated from the Capitol, where lawmakers had gathered to certify President Joe Biden's 2020 election win during a joint session of Congress, to an "undisclosed location" once the insurrection began.

"Look, I was there," said Maloney. "I was on the House floor. I was in that undisclosed location with a bunch of Republicans who were... one in particular, who was gleeful at what was transpiring outside. It took me a minute to understand why she was having such a good time. But I saw it, I saw it with her staff who caught up with her. They were excited about what was going on."

"They had been at the White House, I believe, the day before—talking about what was going to happen," he added. "I mean, it's not really a mystery when [Rep.] Mo Brooks is down at the rally, whipping up the crowd and pointing them towards the capitol, I believe, with a bulletproof vest on... a lot of this is right out there in the open."
https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-was-gleeful-during-capitol-riots-rep-sean-patrick-maloney-says-1632286

Yeah it was pretty much like that! But now here’s an interesting turn of events. Did you know that there’s an attempt to whitewash the events of that day? Oh wait we did! Of course if you’ve been following this program you know that’s exactly what they’re up to. But that is according to one cop who actually got arrested for participating in the riots. You know what they say – some of those who work forces are the same that burn crosses!

Michael Fanone recounted the horrific violence he experienced at the hands of Capitol insurrectionists on Jan. 6. Fanone, who suffered a heart attack after he was beaten and tased by rioters, expressed disappointment that Trump supporters have tried to memory hole the events of that day.

“It’s been very difficult seeing elected officials and other individuals kind of whitewash the events of that day or downplay what happened,” Fanone told CNN anchor Don Lemon. Asked to react to conservatives who have painted the rioters as peaceful protesters, Fanone said that rhetoric was “dangerous,” adding that he “experienced a group of individuals that were trying to kill me to accomplish their goal.”

Fanone found himself needing to pause and collect himself throughout the lengthy interview, apologizing for getting emotional. “I experienced the most brutal, savage hand-to-hand combat of my entire life, let alone my policing career, which spans almost two decades,” he starkly noted.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dc-cop-michael-fanone-who-was-assaulted-by-maga-mob-blasts-whitewashing-of-capitol-riots?ref=home

Yeah some of those who work forces… are the same that burn crosses! UH!!! But again in the “no fucks to give” category, here’s what one treason weasel did when people found out that she got arrested for participating in the riots. But this is yet another story in the long list of things MAGAs are complaining about this week where I have literally no fucks to give. But really you were part of an attempt to overthrow the government and now you’re expecting sympathy? Boo fucking hoo!

A Capitol riot suspect has been "shunned" and "chastised" by her community since her arrest in February, her lawyer wrote in a sentencing memorandum seen by Insider.

On Tuesday, Dona Bissey, 53, from Bloomfield, Indiana, wrote a letter to the court pleading for leniency and asking for a sentence of 18 months of probation.

Bissey faces four charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building, violent entry, and disorderly conduct in the Capitol.

In the sentencing memorandum, A. J. Kramer, a federal public defender, said the events of the insurrection had left Bissey with "deep regret, fear, shame, and remorse."

Bissey, who owns a hair salon, has lost a lot of customers since her arrest and is taking antidepressants, Kramer said.

"Ms. Bissey has been chastised on the street and her business shunned. She had to move her salon following huge losses from a drop in clientele and because the pandemic made rental space unaffordable," he wrote.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/a-capitol-riot-suspect-is-being-shunned-by-people-in-her-small-indiana-town-and-chastised-on-the-street-lawyer-says/ar-AAPcezV

Yeah let me play ya a sad song for ya on the world’s tiniest violin. Again, no fucks to give for these treasonous scumbags. And hey you should have thought about your business before you participated in that riot. Treason is bad for business, I am just saying. And speaking of treason being bad for business, here’s an interesting statistic. You know that theory about Trump voters that said they were uneducated buffoons? Actually no it’s quite the opposite! So yeah those treason weasels are actually moderately wealthy middle class people with degrees. Plot twist!

After a Donald Trump campaign event in Mobile, Ala., in 2015 attracted about 20,000 attendees, a narrative emerged that his popularity centered on White working-class voters in small towns in red states. Books such as “Hillbilly Elegy” rose to the top of bestseller lists as a way to help more Americans understand this group of voters that got behind the wealthy reality star from Manhattan. And cable news networks regularly featured panels of journalists asking these voters why they continued to back such a widely unpopular leader.

But new data supports something that some critics of the former president were confident of from the earliest days of Trump’s presidential campaign: The Ivy League graduate from New York City got to the White House with the support of more college-educated professionals than is often acknowledged.

Robert A. Pape, director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, worked with court records to analyze the demographics and home county characteristics of the 377 Americans arrested or charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington aimed at overturning the 2020 election.

“What we know 90 days later is that the insurrection was the result of a large, diffuse and new kind of protest movement congealing in the United States,” the political science professor wrote in The Washington Post. “Those involved are, by and large, older and more professional than right-wing protesters we have surveyed in the past. They typically have no ties to existing right-wing groups. But like earlier protesters, they are 95 percent White and 85 percent male, and many live near and among Biden supporters in blue and purple counties.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/data-about-the-capitol-rioters-serves-another-blow-to-the-white-working-class-trump-supporter-narrative/ar-BB1fzw3a?ocid=uxbndlbing

[font size="8"]Debt Ceiling

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Let’s spin it to win it! And it lands on… wait for it… CHANCE! Let me just pick a card here…

I’ll just put that away for later. Spin it again! The economy. Folks I don’t need to tell you that reckless spending in favor of billionaires and gigantic corporations, not to mention the multitude of times the US has defaulted on debt, and on top of that a raging pandemic that shut down the global economy for over a year and crippled supply chains around the globe has not been kind on our wallets. Or the American economy. In fact we almost hit the proverbial debt ceiling. So the question is what is the debt ceiling and how can the US get out of it? Well for one thing there’s one obstacle standing in the way of our plan: Mitch McConnell. What? I’m actually completely serious on this one. Because no matter what hair brained schemes Congress come up with to save the US from a catastrophic debt default that could usher in a second Great Depression, Mitch McConnell will veto, block it, or force the absolutely dreaded filibuster. So what’s his latest hairbrained scheme? Well it might be the schemiest of schemes to ever scheme. Here’s more.

Democratic senators on Wednesday signaled they will accept a proposal by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to raise the debt-limit for two months to avoid a potential economic crisis.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) noted that accepting McConnell’s offer to vote to raise the debt limit to a certain number high enough to cover the nation’s financial obligations until December would amount to “a temporary victory.”

“In terms of a temporary lifting of the debt ceiling, we view that as a victory, a temporary victory with more work to do,” she told CNN's Jake Tapper.

Baldwin made her comments after leaving a closed-door meeting of the Senate Democratic caucus where lawmakers discussed McConnell’s offer floated earlier in the day.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/575631-democrats-signal-they-will-accept-mcconnell-offer

That’s pretty much what it is like at the moment – just a big pile of money on fire! But you want to know what the potentially worst side effect is from all of this? It could potentially cripple national security. I know, that is a huge problem! National security is a huge contributor to our economy and it’s also a huge protector of the US. And with the clusterfuck in Afghanistan right now, this is the last thing we need!

The threat of the U.S. government defaulting on its loans became real enough Wednesday for the Pentagon to wade into the political morass, warning Congress that a failure to act would harm America's ability to defend itself and take care of its troops.

"If the United States defaults, it would undermine the economic strength on which our national security rests," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Wednesday morning. "It would also seriously harm our service members and their families because, as secretary, I would have no authority or ability to ensure that our service members, civilians, or contractors would be paid in full or on time."

The department may not be able to dole out benefits to 2.4 million military veterans nor issue payments to federal contractors, Austin said. America's defaulting on its loans would undermine its international reputation, he added, "as a reliable and trustworthy economic and national security partner."

The Pentagon chief's stark warning comes amid an increasingly tense standoff between the White House and Republicans in Congress, who have opposed Democratic attempts to raise America's debt limit as a way to rail against President Joe Biden's domestic investment agenda.
https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2021-10-06/pentagon-warns-of-national-security-fallout-from-debt-ceiling-crisis

Yeah just take a big old pile of money and light it on fire! But now we have to talk about what might be the most batshit insane plan to rescue the economy yet. The plan is to mint a coin worth a trillion dollars to save the economy. That’s right. A trillion dollars. I mean come fucking on! Has nobody seen the Simpsons? This is literally a Simpsons episode come to life. A trillion dollars, you say? That’s a spicy meatball!

A $1 trillion coin could be minted within hours of an emergency decision by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to avert a default on America's debts.

Philip Diehl, the director of the US Mint from 1994 to 2000, told Axios that the agency had no shortage of platinum coin blanks. That's the metal required to make such a coin, according to the law that the entire idea is based on.

"This could be quickly executed on the existing plaster mold of the Platinum Eagle," Diehl said, adding that only the denomination of the coin would need to be changed.

After that, the $1 trillion coin could be created within minutes at the West Point, New York, mint and flown to the New York Fed for physical deposit via helicopter.
https://news.yahoo.com/trillion-dollar-coin-could-minted-190109548.html

You’ll have to excuse my proverbial gut laugh for a minute here but… AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! Can you imagine what would happen if this were to get into the wrong hands? We don’t have Mr. Burns but we do have Donald Trump, and Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos. I can just imagine Trump posing as a pilot and then stealing the coin. But let’s face it, 40 years of Reganomics brought us here, and the only thing trickling down isn’t money. It’s… well I probably shouldn’t finish this sentence.

The federal government could soon run out of money to pay its bills, raising questions about what the U.S. can do to avoid a historic default.

Washington lawmakers have acted 25 times since 1993 to raise or modify the federal borrowing limit, or debt ceiling, according to the Congressional Research Service. The narrowly divided Congress is still considering approaches this time around, creating speculation about other possible options. Those range from changing Senate filibuster rules to the Treasury Department minting a trillion-dollar coin to pay government debts.

The Treasury Department since August has been taking measures to conserve cash after the nation’s debt limit was reinstated at roughly $28.5 trillion following a two-year suspension. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the agency is likely to exhaust those measures by Oct. 18 if Congress doesn’t act, creating uncertainty about whether the Treasury could meet all the nation’s commitments afterward.

Here are some theories on how the debt ceiling stalemate might be resolved.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-a-trillion-dollar-coin-to-invoking-the-14th-amendment-how-the-u-s-could-address-the-debt-ceiling-11633540140

[font size="8"] Joe Manchin
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Let’s give the wheel a spin shall we? And it lands on… Oh hey it’s one of our patented Clips Without Context!

OK discount Ozzy Osbourne, I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works. This guy looks like a total creep who hangs around cemeteries on the weekends and plays Ouija boards with goth crowds doesn’t he? I’m just saying. Spin it again! And it lands on… Flip Flopping! I know what you’re thinking – hey wait! This is supposed to be Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Why is Joe Manchin on this list? He may be the liberal senator from West Virginia who’s been inexplicably reelected many times over, but he’s on this list this week for his constant flip flopping. Here’s the thing about Joe Manchin – the guy may be a progressive but in name only. Don’t worry Kristen Sinema – we’re coming for you next. But Manchin is a product of his time. Got rich in the 60s and 70s when America was far more racist and sexist and is using his time in the senate to capitalize on his already obscene wealth that he made from being a coal baron. Look, just how wealthy is this guy anyways? Well he clearly has a lot of what us middle class people like to refer to as “F U Money”. And just like rich people he really uses that as an “F U” to poor people.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who has in his own words "never been in a liberal in any way shape or form," is currently holding up the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill that central to President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" domestic agenda.

But he's also likely to hold back any further action to combat the climate crisis, which could impact his million-dollar investments in the coal and energy industries.

-snip-

As The Guardian reported in partnership with the Center for Media and Democracy in July, Manchin himself founded a private coal brokerage in 1998 called "Enersystems." Though currently run by his son, Manchin still owns as much as a $5 million stake in the company, raking in $500,000 of income from it in 2020 alone. As of late 2019, Manchin was by far the most invested of any senator in "dirty energy."

Manchin serves as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the coal industry as well as "global climate change." As Sludge reported in early July, Manchin told the 2021 annual conference of the Edison Electric Institute in June that "coal-fired plants are being unfairly targeted by environmentalists."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/joe-manchin-who-is-holding-up-crucial-climate-change-initiatives-in-bidens-reconciliation-bill-collects-dollar500000-a-year-from-coal-stocks-dividends-report/ar-AAP0Kah

Now let’s contrast that with why Joe Manchin is in the news this week. One of the biggest problems with his platform is that, while he votes with Biden 100% of the time, one of the biggest drawbacks is what he wants in the controversial infrastructure bill. Wait a minute let’s get this straight. The guy is a multi- millionaire that makes money in an industry that gets tons of money in government subsidiaries and handouts. This is what I believe might be called “flip flopping”?

A senior lobbyist for ExxonMobil has claimed the oil giant is secretly fighting legislative attempts to tackle climate change—and identified Democratic Senator Joe Manchin as one of the lawmakers targeted in the campaign.

Lobbyist Keith McCoy's remarks were covertly recorded by Greenpeace UK's investigative platform Unearthed and shared with British news program Channel 4 News.

During the call, recorded last month, McCoy alleged that ExxonMobil had used third-party organizations to fight legislative action on climate change, despite publicly claiming to be working to tackle the issue.

He also claimed that he had lobbied several key senators to oppose climate change measures in President Joe Biden's infrastructure and jobs legislation.

Along with Manchin, McCoy named 10 other senators he described as "crucial" to ExxonMobil's efforts. Five are Republicans—John Barrasso, John Cornyn, Steve Daines, Shelley Moore Capito and Marco Rubio. Five are Democrats—Chris Coons, Maggie Hassan, Mark Kelly, Kyrsten Sinema and Jon Tester.
https://www.newsweek.com/exxonmobil-lobbyist-joe-manchin-kingmaker-11-senators-targeted-climate-change-1605865

Yeah so that happened. I mean come on when you’re on Exxon’s payroll isn’t it obvious where you stand now? Biden wants rail and clean energy – both of these things are great for the planet, but terrible for the oil and gas industry! And by the way talk about someone voting against their best interests in favor of those sweet sweet big dollars – Biden’s massive infrastructure plan would help out Manchin’s home state of West Virginia. A lot.

The child care center that Michelle McFall runs in Union, West Virginia, has been around for about 40 years. Just keeping it open has been something of an accomplishment.

Union sits on the state’s hilly and rural southeastern border. With a countywide poverty rate that is about 38% higher than the national average and a median income about 39% lower, almost nobody can afford to pay much for child care there. Three-quarters of the center’s kids receive government subsidies. Others could benefit from assistance but aren’t eligible, because a grandparent is their primary custodian (a consequence of the opioid epidemic).

These factors limit tuition revenue, McFall told HuffPost, and covering expenses with the center’s annual operating budget of about $200,000 has frequently been difficult. “There were many days,” she said, “when I said, ‘OK, how am I going to make payroll? How am I going to make the mortgage payments, cover the taxes?’”

Even so, McFall has managed to put together a center that meets the quality standards for the state’s Tier Two accreditation. Only a handful of providers in southern West Virginia have that status, which entitles the center to higher subsidy payments. McFall has done it with the help of dedicated workers, some of whom have special training in childhood development and have been with her for more than 10 years. She’s also set up a curriculum that, for 3- and 4-year-olds, mirrors what public schools elsewhere in the state offer as part of their pre-kindergarten programs.

There are entire counties that don’t have child care centers at all. Kelly Allen, West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/manchin-biden-west-virginia-child-care-hcbs-poverty_n_614e2e70e4b03dd7280afa11

[font size="8"]Holy Shit: Pat Robertson Retires
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Let’s give the wheel a good strong spin shall we? And it lands on… wait for it… oh hey it’s one of our patented Clips Without Context!

Oh yeah this all sounds perfectly sane and logical. How do people subscribe to this nonsense? I can’t even. Spin it again! Hey it’s time for Holy Shit!

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! First off I don’t need to tell you that you’re in the audience for the taping of the pilot episode of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons, but that’s neither here nor there. That said we’re going to do something a bit different this week. Think of this as the lecture where we blow off our plans and just show a whole bunch of videos for the class. This week there’s been a massive shakeup in the holy community. That’s right – the long time host of the religious TV favorite the 700 Club is stepping down from his reign of terror. Yes, that man has done more damage to the collective psyche of Americans than any terrorist could ever do. Now that said, we’re going to dedicate this week’s sermon to recapping his greatest hits. Yes, he may not agree with the unholy, ungodly Dark One, a man so disgusting, foul and vile that his name dare not be spoken in my church! But that doesn’t excuse him from decades of foul, bigoted behavior or his multitudes of conspiracy theories that have been left in his wake. So here’s what is happening. No longer will you see his vile and disgusting rhetoric on the 700 Club anymore. Get ready for a whole new wave of disgusting rhetoric!

And this is another one of my favorites. Apparently did you know that if you buy your clothing from a second hand store it could be filled with DAYMONS??? That’s right!

So yeah that’s Pat Robertson for you. We can’t let him get away with the things he said in the past even if he’s started to right the ship. The damage has been done. Mass has ended, may you go in peace! Don’t forget to turn in this Sunday for episode 1 of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]How Is This Still A Thing: Trump’s Wall
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Let’s give the wheel a good strong spin shall we? Come on no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy… stop! Intermission! Go on, let’s take a break. I will just amuse myself with Words With Friends. Go!

Spin it again! Oh hey it’s time for: How Is This Still A Thing?

It's time once again to ask:

This week: Donald Trump’s failed border wall. How is this still a thing? Back in 2016, Candidate Trump advocated relentlessly for a border wall. And in 2017 – 2018 it got built. And then in 2019 it fell down after a hurricane swept part of the wall into Mexico. While the wall kept out exactly 0 immigrants and nearly collapsed on itself, there’s people who are still advocating for it! And not only that, but the now Trump-ified SCOTUS has actually upheld the part of the border wall where the government has to pay $3.6 billion for this wall. There’s a lot of things that $3.6 billion could buy. That’s identical to the budget of what it cost to build SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. But that said this wall is an atrocity and an enormous waste of money and resources. And by the way what good is a wall when ladders, walls, and airplanes exist? Well wait until you here what the latest atrocity that is happening with this border wall is. Well we can’t say we’re surprised, only because we have been following this thing from the beginning.

The $15 billion border wall built under former President Trump is being scaled by people using $5 ladders, according to Texas Monthly.

The report cites U.S. Border Patrol agents who monitor the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border that crosses into southern Texas. The agents said they often find ladders left behind by undocumented migrants who use them to climb over certain portions of the border wall.

Scott Nicol, an activist in Texas, told Texas Monthly, "These ladders are probably $5 worth of hardware, and they're defeating a wall that cost $12 million a mile in that location."

The ladders typically appear in specific areas between Granjeno and Hidalgo, Texas.

Trump’s promises of building a border wall were the cornerstone of his 2016 presidential campaign. He pledged to build a wall spanning 1,000 miles funded by Mexico. During his presidency, more than 400 miles of already-existing border wall were reinforced, and only about 80 miles of previously nonexistent wall were constructed. The wall was funded by federal taxes.
https://thehill.com/changing-america/resilience/refugees/549758-trumps-15-billion-border-wall-is-being-easily-defeated

That’s pretty much how the Trump Border Wall is supposed to work. But it doesn’t work that way – it’s a fence and a rather ugly one at that. But while one photographer spent several months camping out near the border hoping to catch an award winning image – mainly having to do with animal migration – the one thing that it actually stopped was a road runner, who just stared at the wall. That’s right – Wiley Coyote might not have been able to stop the Road Runner but the border wall did!

Alejandro Prieto has spent nearly 16 months camped out near the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, where he has documented the barricade’s effect on bobcats, jaguars, sheep and other animals.

He was driving on the U.S. side of the border wall near Naco, Ariz., about two years ago when a roadrunner darted out of the vegetation. Prieto, a wildlife photographer from Guadalajara, Mexico, grabbed his camera as the speedy bird stopped in the middle of a gravel road.

The roadrunner appeared to gaze at the tall barbed-wire-covered wall that cut through the desert. It was there just long enough for Prieto to snap a few shots.

“It was a fleeting moment but full of emotions,” Prieto told The Washington Post.

One of those photos — which he named “Blocked” — received the top prize this month in the annual Bird Photographer of the Year awards, a global competition celebrating avian beauty. It was selected from more than 22,000 submissions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/13/roadrunner-photo-trump-border-wall/

But that said that is how that is supposed to work. And that hasn’t stopped the Trump packed supreme court from demanding that money be used for the wall. Gee, is it any wonder why they would vote that way at all? We’re not shocked at all! So why is all of this money being used and allocated for the use of a wall that so far all it has stopped is a single road runner that stared at it? And it’s all for a Fox News manufactured “crisis” at that.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday advised a lower court to reconsider earlier decisions that blocked an estimated $3.6 billion from being used for construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall championed by former President Donald Trump.

After taking office in January, President Joe Biden has sought to halt funding for border wall construction pushed by his predecessor. The Biden administration had argued that the Supreme Court did not need to weigh in on the case concerning border wall funding since the project was shuttered by the new administration.

But the Court's Monday ruling called for a reassessment of the case, given the new circumstances under which the project is being considered and with a different administration in the White House.

The Supreme Court returned the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit "with instructions to direct the District Court to vacate its judgments," the Supreme Court wrote in its Monday order.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-donald-trumps-plan-to-use-dollar36-billion-for-border-wall/ar-AAP8323?ocid=DELLDHP&li=BBnbfcL

But that said the Fox News crisis about immigrants is getting louder and angrier. And the conspiracy theories surrounding it are getting crazier and crazier. In fact the Wall has a high favorability rating among Fox News viewers and GOP governors – many of which are demanding that it be built. But then again they’re becoming an increasing minority among the electorate and it’s because they pull stunts like this to gain favor of Fox News and OAN viewers.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts joined eight other Republican governors Wednesday at the U.S.-Mexico border to criticize Democratic President Biden’s handling of immigration issues.

The governors who gathered in Texas called on Biden to take a number of actions, including building a border wall supported by former Republican President Trump, requiring those seeking asylum to remain in Mexico instead of being allowed into the United States and prohibiting the entry of anyone who potentially poses a health risk.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn said in a statement that Reynolds’ trip to the border was nothing more “than a political stunt and a distraction from her failed leadership.”

Reynolds bristled when asked whether the trip was more about politics than confronting immigration issues.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-10-06/gop-governors-u-s-mexico-border

So it costs billions and is only popular among GOP voters and Fox News viewers, and so far has only stopped a road runner and a couple of guys with ropes. That’s enough to make you ask – Trump’s boder wall:

[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner: Missing White Girl Syndrome
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Let’s give the wheel a good strong spin shall we? Come on no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy… stop! No, a whammy!!!

Spin it again! Oh hey it’s time for Conspiracy Corner!

Welcome back to our segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable – Conspiracy Corner! We of course are coming to you live from our underground doomsday shelter deep in the heart of the New Mexico badlands – undisclosed location. Just let me adjust my tin foil hat for maximum government interference… ah there we go! Folks this week we are going to tackle one of the biggest conspiracies of all time. And here’s the thing before I venture further – we are not making fun of the Gabby Petito murder / kidnapping at all. That would be beneath us. I cannot stress that enough. No, what we instead are going to do is make fun of the conspiracies and the media shit storm that ignites every time something like this happens, and we wonder why other countries don’t take us seriously. But that said this is one of the more ridiculous conspiracies that I’ve seen lately and I’ve documented all of them. That is why I live in this underground bunker. But much attention has been paid to what I’m going to call “missing white girl syndrome”. What is that exactly?

When the late Gwen Ifill used the phrase “Missing White Woman Syndrome” at a 2004 journalism conference, she was responding to news anchor Suzanne Malveaux’s concern that US media outlets had failed to cover international genocides early on, including Rwanda and Kosovo. Malvaeux told the diverse crowd: “In 1994, during Rwanda, we were looking at Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding.” The two figure skaters had received more coverage than a million genocide victims and survivors. Ifill playfully interrupted her, mocking newsroom executives: “If it’s a missing white woman, you’re going to cover that, every day.” The room welcomed her interjection with resounding applause.

But rather than being celebrated as part of Malveaux’s criticism of US-centric media, “Missing White Woman Syndrome” has found a life of its own. Commentators widely use it now to describe the disparity in media coverage that missing young, conventionally attractive white women receive over missing Black and brown people.

This disparity is real. Black people constitute 13% of the US population and 31% of missing persons; 54% of missing persons are white, though they make up 76% of the population. A 2013 study found that news outlets covered missing white women significantly more often, and more intensely, than everyone else. As Charles Blow recently penned: “It is not that these white women should matter less, but rather that all missing people should matter equally. Race should not determine how newsroom leaders assign coverage, especially because those decisions often lead to disproportionate allocation of government resources, as investigators try to solve the highest-profile cases.” Advocates and families of color express that the disparate media coverage signals that their loved ones’ lives don’t matter as much as the lives of white women, which they believe then discourages police from pouring resources to pursue the cases.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/29/the-missing-white-woman-syndrome-still-plagues-america

Whew, there is a lot to unpack there and a lot of buzzwords. You can bash the mainstream media all that you want. But the thing is this is so infurating that when someone is kidnapped like that you literally hear every minute of every excruciating detail that has ever detailed 24 hours a day. This latest kidnapping is also a sad reminder that CNN’s Nancy Grace still exists. Thank god that joke nearly got rejected in the writer’s room. But the fact is “missing white woman syndrome” isn’t just a theory, it’s a real thing with real consequences!

A Bay Area news anchor has been "suspended indefinitely" for requesting to cover "missing white woman syndrome" in relation to the Gabby Petito case, The Mercury News reported.

KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville was removed from air over a newsroom dispute involving coverage of the Petito case. Somerville, the father of a Black adopted daughter, reportedly requested to add a brief tagline drawing attention to the disproportionate media coverage that missing white women tend to receive compared with women of color.

The Mercury News noted that the term used to describe the media phenomenon, "missing white woman syndrome," was coined by the late PBS anchor Gwen Ifill.

By the end of 2020, 45 percent of the FBI's 89,000 active missing person cases were people of color, according to a report from ABC News.
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/574020-news-anchor-suspended-over-request-to-cover-missing-white-woman-syndrome

So yes where the “mainstream media” refuses to cover stories like this, we will! But this is becoming such a problem in America that even the FBI is addressing it! But really how does the media decide what to cover and what not to cover? Well probably the same way that we do things here around the Top 10 home offices in Santa Ana – we just throw ideas around and find out what sticks. But that said I’m not sure it really works that way IRL!

The missing person case of 22-year-old Gabby Petito has drawn national attention.

The missing person case of 16-year-old Leivy Rodas remains virtually unknown.

Both young women went missing in the last month, but a key difference made it more likely that one would get more news coverage; Petito is White, while Rodas is Hispanic.

Uneven coverage of missing people isn’t new. In 2004 the late PBS anchor Gwen Ifill coined the term to describe it: “missing white woman syndrome,” or the tendency of media and national attention to focus on missing white women more than women of color or men.

Forty-six percent of missing person cases in 2020 were not White, according to FBI statistics. Yet the news covers only about one fifth of missing person cases involving minorities, according to a 2016 analysis by Northwestern University.
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/missing-white-woman-syndrome/521-4ea32e1b-3b6a-4dc2-bbe2-10e8a439d1d8

Yeah probably. But here’s where the Gabby Petito story veers from kidnapping case into batshit crazy, off the wall, real life is stranger than fiction you can’t make this stuff up if you tried territory. That is – Dog The Bounty Hunter is involved. That’s right! He is on the case folks and you know when it becomes a reality show that’s when I give up. The case has morphed from mere conspiracy theories into something that’s way too far gone for comfort.

Dog the Bounty Hunter has become an unlikely figure in the Gabby Petito case, as the reality television star leads a high-profile manhunt for the fugitive Brian Laundrie that has revived his career.

Duane Chapman has been the front and center of a media storm over the past two weeks as he and his team have tirelessly searched for the 23-year-old who was reported missing after returning from a trip without his girlfriend, who was later found dead.

Laundrie has been named a person of interest in Petito's disappearance but he has vanished, having last been seen in Florida.

Newsweek first reached out to Chapman on September 22 to ask if he had any insight into how to trace and find Laundrie.

Chapman gave his expert opinion and since then, began leading a high-profile search, with the aid of former law enforcement, Navy seals, marines and a K-9 unit.
https://www.newsweek.com/brian-laundrie-search-resurrects-dog-bounty-hunter-career-1635724

[font size="8"]People Are Dumb
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Let’s give the wheel a good strong spin shall we? Come on no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy… stop! Oh hey! It’s one of our patented clips without context!

Ok…. OK… First off that sounds like the most metal song ever! Second… man they’re getting increasingly violent with their fantasies aren’t they? I can guarantee my fantasies don’t involve people getting impaled on meat hooks. Holy shit! Spin it again! Oh hey it’s time for People Are Dumb!

Of course you know by now that people are people, and people are dumb. Again I want to emphasize what makes a People Are Dumb story. Like fast food rage for instance. I love a good fast food rage story, I collect them. I trade them with my friends. Like give me a story where some crazy woman destroys a McDonalds because they ran out of Big Mac sauce. Now that’s a People Are Dumb story! So let’s start this week with this bizarre story out of British Columbia. Yes, even our neighbors to the north aren’t immune from stupid people. Now the guy in the story is not what’s in question here. But the pandemic and everyone’s fears over COVID are definitely understandable. But does it cause volatile diarrhea? You know the kind you can only get after an order of the ultra-hot platter at Buffalo Wild Wings and a few cold brewskies? No! But this has to be one of the most 2021 headlines to ever 2021!

When Jeremy Arnot ordered a bad plate of chicken wings to his Ladysmith hotel room while on a work trip, he had no idea it could cost him his job.

The wings allegedly induced a case of diarrhea for Arnot, whose employer then insisted he get tested for COVID-19. When Arnot failed to follow the company’s COVID-19 policies, he was fired, told to pay for his hotel room and find his own way home to Trail. But now, labour arbitrator Paul Love has reinstated Arnot’s employment as an industrial cleaner, saying that companies need to establish clear COVID-19 safety protocols and ensure their employees are trained on what to do if they may be infected with COVID-19.

“An employee’s report of diarrhea during this pandemic is not a sufficient justification for demanding a COVID test. The employer must establish, based on objective considerations, that a demand for a test is warranted,” Love wrote.

It all started when Arnot and a crew from Terrapure Environmental were sent for a cleaning job at a mill in Crofton in late November 2020. On that trip, Arnot ordered the fateful chicken wings that kept him up sick all night and into work the next day.

Arnot was sent back to his Ladysmith hotel to rest after he complained to a supervisor. What happened next was anything but restful.
https://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/b-c-man-wins-job-back-after-diarrhea-symptoms-mistaken-for-covid/

OK… maybe the poop’s not that bad! Though I am a firm believer that poop should not go near the mouth for any reason. The only place it belongs is the toilet. Enough hot takes. By the way speaking of poop, here’s another disgusting story out of Toronto. Of all the things you could steal why the hell would you steal used diapers from a day care center? Ugh even the thought of this makes me want to wretch, though this is People Are Dumb and this definitely qualifies as a People Are Dumb story! But this is the most Canadian thief we’ve had in a while!

Toronto police are looking for a person who they say removed soiled diapers from a daycare centre garbage.

Officers were called the centre at Danforth and Coxwell Avenues last Friday around 11:30 a.m.

It was reported the person attended the daycare several times during the day and removed soiled diapers from a garbage bin.

The person is described as a male, around five foot five inches tall. He was seen wearing a red baseball cap with a grey brim, black track pants and black running shoes. He had a black/dark blue back pack, and was riding a black mountain bike.

He was last seen riding his bike westbound along Danforth Avenue.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police directly. Tips can also be left anonymously with Crime Stoppers.
https://www.680news.com/2021/10/01/toronto-police-soiled-diapers-daycare/

Yeah just make sure that guy doesn’t go anywhere near the day center dumpsters. I’m just saying… he looks kinda creepy. Next up – we of course go back to our favorite state – the Sunshine State, the state of Florida. America’s wang. And we go to the Florida highways for this one. OK… I can kind of see why Florida Man would expose himself once, even though that’s uncalled for, but 7 times? Come on, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 7 times…

A Florida man has been arrested on charges he exposed himself at various toll collectors over a week’s span.

The Florida Highway Patrol said in a statement that Mark Anthony Fillyaw was booked into the Osceola County Jail on Saturday.

All seven instances happened on three days around 7 a.m. as he entered the cash lanes of the toll plazas. Toll workers told troopers the man had no clothes on and was “showing his privates.”

He was identified through a photo comparison and his identity matched.
https://www.local10.com/news/florida/2021/09/13/florida-man-exposed-himself-to-toll-collectors-7-times-troopers-say/

Well, 7 times. But two more and he would have hit 9 times. Next up – we go to the Florida city of Jacksonville for this one. OK look – here’s a message I have to all you wannabe car thieves – next time you’re thinking of stealing a new car – maybe don’t return it to the dealer from which you got it! Man this edition of People Are Dumb is full of hot takes! But yeah I think the dealers might get just a little bit suspicious on this one!

A man walks into a car dealership, wishing to trade the vehicle he drove up in for a new one. Happens all the time, right?

But when the man is a Florida man, things get more interesting.

According to First Coast News and some other Florida outlets, police in Jacksonville responded to Lake City Chrysler Dodge Jeep, where the scene above played out, as it does every day. But this time was different.

When the dealership's sales staff logged the VIN on the man's trade-in, they discovered that the car had been stolen from that very dealership just days prior. That's right, a customer, for lack of a better term, was trying to trade a car stolen at that dealership for something better.

Police say that after they read him his rights, he told them he had stolen the car. Also, the dealership's security cameras showed the theft, though it's unclear from accounts whether the thief is identifiable in that video. The 50-year-old Lake City man also said he was homeless.
https://www.autoblog.com/2021/09/22/florida-man-tries-to-trade-stolen-car-to-dealership/

D’oh!!! Finally this week – dumb police officers! Yes, even police officers aren’t immune from stupid people. But here’s the thing – anyone who’s ever seen a crime show knows that the first place you check for an officer would be the hospital. Well guess what? This particular department did not. And this particular officer got demoted for deserting his job and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Guess where the one place they didn’t check was? The hospital! We go to the African nation of Kenya for this story!

Neither the family nor the police force had any idea where Constable Reuben Kimutai Lel was - his niece told the BBC they thought he was dead.
...
The police officer was admitted on 21 December 2020 as an unknown person at the main referral hospital in the capital, Nairobi. He had no identity documents with him.

Meanwhile, he was sacked from his job, charged in absentia with desertion and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The case was later withdrawn after police failed to find him.

He regained consciousness last week, and although he has still not regained his full memory, he was able to identify himself by name and that he was a police officer - and so the search for his relatives began.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-58681463

That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Red State Diaries: Scenes From A MAGA Rally
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Let’s give the wheel a final spin for this week! And it lands on… wait for it.. T-shirt cannon! We’re shooting out our new “2021 Tour: Out Of The Blue Void” to our fine audience!

Let’s spin it again! And it lands on… Red State Diaries!

Welcome back to our ongoing survey of what the MAGA cult is up to since they lost the 2020 election in Red State Diaries! We spent the last four weeks covering the California recall election which they not only lost, but got their asses handed to them! This week we’re going to talk about rallies. Why do they still have them? And why are they literally out in the middle of nowhere? Well that’s because the guy who puts them on – our 45th president – knows that if he went to a major city like Chicago or New York or DC or Los Angeles, he’d get laughed at and run out of town. But sadly people show up to them even when he holds them in the middle of nowhere. But why? Of all the activities one could do, this would be at the bottom of my list!

The Alabama Republican Party said Wednesday that former President Donald Trump’s rally in Cullman Saturday was the largest political event in Alabama history.

According to the Alabama Republican Party, up to 50,000 people attended the rally and over a million more watched it from home. A Donald Trump reception fundraiser brought in $1.17 million in contributions and commitments from across the state.

Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl released the following statement:

“We are very excited about what we accomplished together this weekend. The Trump Rally was the biggest political event I’ve ever seen in the State of Alabama, and it shows the passion people have for our county, and the Conservative values the Republican Party represents.”

“The Republican Party is committed to fighting for the people of Alabama, and we are thrilled that Donald Trump joined us in jump starting our campaign to take back the House and Senate. It’s not easy to break fundraising records, but it’s important that Republicans have the resources we need to challenge the Democrat Party and the socialist agenda that is being forced on the people of Alabama.”
https://www.wsfa.com/2021/08/26/alabama-republican-party-50000-attended-trump-rally-cullman/

Oh and let’s not forget that thanks to a combination of vaccine denial and COVID, Alabama is poised to actually post a NEGATIVE population gain for the first time in the state’s history! Great job, MAGAs and Trump voters! Boy you sure owned us with that one! But the Former Guy isn’t the only one holding rallies attempting to have a gathering of the MAGAs. Let’s look at what happened in Kentucky when Creepy Pillow Man tried culling the herd.

Organizers of a Kentucky rally in support of former President Donald Trump featuring several prominent allies and conspiracy theorists expected some 10,000 people to show up this weekend. Instead, less than 300 were in attendance when local journalists attempted to cover the proceedings.

The "We the People Reunion" was held at the Muhlenberg County Agriculture & Convention Center Fairgrounds in Powderly, Kentucky, on Friday and Saturday. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, retired General Michael Flynn, attorney Lin Wood and others were among the featured speakers, according to the event and ticket page online.

Local channel WFIE 14 News sent a team to shoot video at the event on Friday but was later asked to leave, according to a report broadcast by the NBC News affiliate. The news channel reported that promoters had expected a crowd of about 10,000 people but less than 300 were in attendance from what their journalists saw. Event organizers reportedly refused to speak to WFIE about the rally.

Photos and videos of the event posted to social media appeared to show only a few hundred people in attendance.
https://www.newsweek.com/pro-trump-rally-expecting-10000-attendees-sees-only-few-hundred-show-1628299

OK… let’s see if I am understanding the irony here. Former Guy holds a rally at a farm in the middle of nowhere and people literally flock to it. Creepy Pillow Guy holds a rally and nobody shows up. And they call us sheep. Ha, that’s rich! But then last week we mentioned that attempted rally to support the January 6th rioters who they have been calling “political prisoners”. But yeah that rally was a complete bust – but there’s plenty of complete busts coming!

The “Justice for J6” rally to advocate the release of jailed pro-Trump insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 lacked much drama Saturday. Only a small number of protesters showed up, matched by a heavy media and law enforcement presence.

Demonstrators came out on a muggy day in less than droves to a sleepy Capitol complex shrouded in a black security fence and a large law enforcement footprint, with members of the media appearing to rival the protesting crowd in size. Capitol Police put the turnout at the protest area at approximately 400 to 450 people.

Unlike Jan. 6, Saturday’s rally, which took place near the Capitol Reflecting Pool and lasted just over an hour, was not marred by violence. Capitol Police tweeted that one man armed with a knife was arrested on a weapons violation.

“What I’m asking you to do is to take your anger and channel it into something productive,” rally architect Matt Braynard, a former Trump campaign employee, said onstage as he closed the event. He encouraged the protestors to volunteer with his organization, Look Ahead America, and work to “fix our election system.”
https://www.rollcall.com/2021/09/18/low-turnout-low-drama-mark-rally-for-jailed-pro-trump-rioters/

Man even Dwight is calling you a loser! That’s pretty harsh! So with that – the Former Guy has to watch what he says because he can and probably will get into trouble. Especially if he wants to run in 2024, which at this point who really gives a fuck? But the strange thing with this guy is that no matter what he says, people still inexplicably are drawn to this guy like flies to a bug zapper. And it’s getting weirder and harder to explain why people like this guy. But he does have even his most die-hard supporters fighting each other. And his rallies might be doing more harm than good.

Donald Trump’s scorched-earth rally in Georgia last month might have done more than deepen the factional divide in the state GOP. It might have also strengthened the criminal case that Fulton County prosecutors could build against the former president.

The Brookings Institution think tank on Monday updated its analysis of Trump’s post-election conduct to include his remarks at the Sept. 25 rally in Perry, when he repeatedly blasted Gov. Brian Kemp for refusing to reverse his defeat.

The report, authored by seven legal analysts, highlights that Trump twice said he asked the Republican governor to call a “special election” to decertify his narrow defeat to President Joe Biden in Georgia.

“I said, ‘Brian, listen, you have a big election integrity problem in Georgia. I hope you can help us out and call a special election and let’s get to the bottom of it for the good of the country,’” Trump said at the rally, recounting his effort to subvert the election results.
https://www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/trumps-rally-in-perry-might-have-bolstered-legal-case-against-him-think-tank-says/WASQCAHXFNFI5M3N5RHN4FODQM/

[font size="4"]Next Week: [/font]

Will he or won’t he run? We break down all the latest speculation madness but in all seriousness, who cares?

[font size="8"]And Now This:[/font]
[font size="8"]Pearl Jam[/font]

Folks! My next guest is one of my favorite bands ever. They just wrapped up a mini festival tour in support of their new album “Gigaton”. Playing their song “Dance Of The Clairvoyants”, give it up for Pearl Jam!

Thank you Long Beach! We are off to Salt Lake City next with live music from Twenty One Pilots! See you next week!

Credits

Host: Initech
Top 10 Conservative Idiots Recorded At: San Jose Improv, San Jose, CA
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Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo

September 30, 2021

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-10: Cyber Ninjas II: The Secret Of The Ooze Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-10: Cyber Ninjas II: The Secret Of The Ooze Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Yo!!! What’s up Denver? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? It’s good to be back in the Mile High City! And hey since marijuana is legal here, it’s the Really High City! Am I right? OK yeah I’ll file that one. And folks need I remind you that we are only two short weeks away from the series premiere of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons! It is getting very exciting around here! Be sure to follow our Twitter account at @10Idiots and @churchoftop10 for more! Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do! OK so do we really need more spam? I know I sure as shit do not! I get what, 200 e-mails a day. I throw away maybe 199 of them, and there is usually a +- 1 e-mail margin of error there. So yeah fuck spam. But Texas is about to make it worse. And Texas usually makes everything worse don’t they? Yeah one guy in the back yelling “boo”! Thank you sir, I got the message. But maybe it’s not so much Texas as it is the Texas GOP . Because they passed a social media censorship bill, and we may delve into that next week. But it has an unintended side effect: you get more spam! Yay! Even more reasons not to open my inbox. The people who authored this bill can really just go fuck themselves. Either play by the rules or get out. Don’t attempt to rewrite them. Because you’ll just make things worse.

Thank you sound effects guy! Key to comedy is timing! OK enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to, but first John Oliver is back and I have to play what he did to get duck stamps made, because it’s freaking hilarious:

Well where do we begin this week? Well our number one entry goes to Cyber Ninjas (1)! Yes, the shady auditing firm that was running the Arizona election recount proved what we all already knew – they were completely full of shit! But that hasn’t stopped Former Guy (2) or the MAGAs – oh no! They are hopping mad! And now they’re taking the recount fight to… Texas? Why are they auditing states where they won an overwhelming majority, like Texas and Montana? Well they are batshit crazy! In the number 3 slot this week is the UN General Assembly (3), or our highlights from it. Thank god we have competent leadership back in the White House, am I right? Taking the number 4 slot this week is our old buddy Steve Bannon (4)! Did the white supremacist in chief basically admit to planning the Capitol Riots? Oh yeah he did! And his buddy Alex Jones might go down with him! In the number 5 slot this week, we have a new Top 10 Investigates (5)! China is putting the hammer down on crypto currency trading, could this mean the death of fun for blockchain bros? Yeah probably! In the number 6 slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” (6) and this week, we’re doing a deep dive into the world of evangelical conspiracy theories! They’re getting extremely weird and increasingly violent – our resident pastor will take a look at the best (and worst) of them! In the number 7 slot this week we have a new segment debuting – “The Pride Files” (7) – our first ever segment dedicated to the LGBT community and taking a look at the LGBT news of the week! In the number 8 slot this week, we have a new edition of Conspiracy Corner (8) – after 20 years, has worship of the events of 9/11/2001 become a cult? We take a look at both sides of the issue! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week is a new I Need A Drink (9) and this week we’re going to have some drinks and discuss the issue of Cast Shaming – particularly with Nintendo’s new Mario Movie and some other instances of fanboys being fanboys! Finally this week in “Road To Recall” (10), we give our final thoughts on the MAGAs getting their asses beaten again and talk about how this can be prevented in the future! Plus we also have some live Rush music for you from Primus! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

[div style="padding: 20px; background-color: #ffffff; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0px 2px 4px 1px #aaa;"][div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-weight: bold; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999; padding-bottom: 8px;"]

[font size="8"]Cyber Ninjas
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Excuse me for a minute while I engage in a colossal gut laugh here. But here it goes! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!! Wait… ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Ok… ok… I’m done. This is the first laugh like this I’ve had on the show in a long ass time, but when I saw last week that the auditing firm known as the Teenage Mutant Cyber Ninjas had completed their counting of the ballots of the 2020 election, and found even more votes for Biden, all I could say was “LOSER!!!”. And they are the biggest losers of them all. Of course Former Guy is attempting to steal the 2020 election with all the same finess as the Acme branded weapons of destruction that Wiley Coyote uses to catch the Road Runner. So how did this happen and why was it allowed to happen in the first place?

The long-awaited and repeatedly delayed report of the Senate’s purported “audit” of the election in Maricopa County featured a plethora of unsubstantiated allegations that files were deleted, equipment was improperly connected to the internet, signatures weren’t properly verified and ineligible voters may have cast ballots.

The county vehemently denied all of the allegations, and said the election review team’s ignorance of election laws and procedures led them to make false claims.

What effect the “audit” will have remains to be seen. The hand-recount of nearly 2.1 million ballots reached the same result as the official tally: Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in Maricopa County and in Arizona. (The “audit” concluded that Biden actually won by about 260 more votes than the official election results.)

Lead auditor Doug Logan, head of the Florida-based firm Cyber Ninjas, presented the audit’s findings along with former Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen, CyFir CEO Ben Cotton, former Secretary of State Ken Bennett and Shiva Ayyadurai, an engineer and promoter of conspiracy theories, during a three-hour presentation at the Senate on Friday afternoon.
https://www.azmirror.com/2021/09/24/arizona-audit-a-multitude-of-unsubstantiated-claims-and-no-proof-of-fraud/

Does anyone get the irony of this? The guy who’s the head of Cyber Ninjas is a MAGA conspiracy theorist and even he can’t say that Trump won Arizona! I already got the gut laugh out of my system here. But Cyber Ninjas might want to consider some rebranding. How about: Cyber Ninjas II: The Secret Of The Ooze? Or maybe Cyber Ninjas: Out Of The Shadows? Oh wait, terrible movie. But there is some bad news is that this madness is spreading to other states.

What if the audit of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County, Arizona, ordered by the state Senate had not confirmed the certified results? Or go a step further: What if the contractors hired to do the work, Cyber Ninjas, had claimed to discover at least 10,458 missing votes for former President Donald Trump, enough to overcome President Biden’s November victory in the Grand Canyon State?

They did not, instead releasing a report that alleges Trump lost the county by 360 more votes than the official returns show. But let’s try the thought experiment: What if, after hauling around and manhandling more than 2 million ballots for counting by untrained volunteers—likely sympathetic to the cause—at a former NBA arena, the Cyber Ninjas came forward with claims of election fraud massive enough that it could have shifted the state’s 11 electoral votes to Trump?

In terms of making Trump president, of course, it would mean nothing. Leaving aside the fact that Trump would still have lost his re-election even with Arizona in his column, there’s no legal or constitutional means to take back a presidential certification. That would be true even if somehow the kooks and charlatans—Trump chief among them—who claim that massive fraud in Arizona and at least two other states robbed the former president of a second term were proven right. In some bizarre alternate universe where Rudy Giuliani was credible and correct in his claims, Congress could only impeach and remove the sitting president and vice president if they wouldn’t resign. That would make House Speaker Nancy Pelosi president for the next three years. There’s no means by which Congress could just appoint a former president into power like a Roman dictator.
https://thedispatch.com/p/arizona-audit-result-no-cause-for

Donald Trump: Electionus Stealicus. And yeah like I said he’s attempting to steal the election with all the finesse of the Acme branded products that Wiley Coyote uses. So why does he keep doing this if it keeps backfiring on him? Well there’s no clear explanation for this. Think of it this way – the people who are actively pushing conspiracy theories may be the same people behind said conspiracy theories. It’s a really fucked up episode of Scooby Doo we’re watching. Zoiks, Scoob!

Before the Arizona Senate decided to begin its review of ballots, Michigan lawyer Matthew DePerno was working to gather alleged evidence of election fraud in Antrim County, a small county in northwest Michigan that Trump won easily.

Antrim County quickly became a focal point for election fraud claims on election night because of an initial reporting error of unofficial results that was soon corrected. The mistake by an election worker, led to election fraud conspiracy theorists descending upon the state and accusing Dominion Voting Systems, the company that made Antrim’s election machines, of switching votes.

Maricopa County, the focus of the Arizona Senate’s “audit,” also uses Dominion machines.

DePerno has been a key player in pushing debunked election fraud claims about Antrim and has continued to fight for them in court, despite them being thrown out multiple times. In those court filings, DePerno claimed both Logan and Hayes were “expert witnesses” who could support his fraud claims.

The surfer and former clothing company owner was listed as an expert on “application security, systems, process, generally accepted programming practices, standards of care, as it relates to application development of sensitive systems.”
https://www.azmirror.com/2021/09/08/conan-hayes-the-former-pro-surfer-and-stop-the-steal-supporter-connected-to-the-arizona-audit/

Come on, we have qualified people on our side. They have underwear models and clothing hawkers on theirs, yet they have more followers. What do we have on this thing? A Cuisinart? Seriously the other side is a clown show. They’re a fucking joke! Which is why even though they are losers in the 2020 election, we still have to deal with these dipshits. But the even worse news is that audit madness is coming to a state near you!

Arizona’s spurious election “audit” concluded on Friday, confirming yet again that President Joe Biden won Maricopa County and the state of Arizona — but not putting an end to former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud, which are now fueling similar efforts to relitigate the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Texas.

The results of the “audit” — a haphazard GOP review of ballots with no legal force behind it, done by a group called Cyber Ninjas in Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to Phoenix — found the vote totals virtually unchanged from the actual election results, which were certified by Arizona officials in November of last year.

That outcome isn’t a surprise: There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which US elections officials said last year was “the most secure in American history.” Every recount requested by Trump and his supporters has upheld the results of the 2020 election.

While the ballot review didn’t turn up Trump’s nonexistent election fraud, the process has caused a legion of problems for Arizona elections officials, who are currently facing death threats and will now have to spend millions to replace voting machines in Maricopa County.
https://www.vox.com/2021/9/25/22692965/arizona-audit-finished-other-states-getting-started

[font size="8"]Donald Trump
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If you will notice, since season 10 and 11 of the Top 10 began, in the Joe Biden era, I have not been referring to our 45th president by name. I’ve been referring to him as “Former Guy”, “Loser 45”, or my personal favorite – “The Slobfather”. But like a fly on the wall or a bad weed, we just can’t seem to get rid of this inhuman monster. So of course you know that one of the biggest Trump ass kissers is Texas governor Greg Abbott, and really with all of the problems you think would be bigger issues in Texas to fry such as their crippling power grid crisis. But instead the hill that Abbott chooses to die on is…. The 2020 election! In Texas! In a state that voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Slobfather! Just this is absolutely insane. We all know what a spectacular fail the Arizona audit was. Let’s hope that the Texas audit produces the same results!

Former President Trump is pressuring Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to back a bill to launch an election audit in the Lone Star State, signaling an expanded effort to throw his broader 2020 election defeat into question.

While Trump won Texas handily in November, he issued an open letter to Abbott on Thursday repeating his unfounded claims of voter fraud and other irregularities "in some" counties in the state and urged the governor to back the election audit bill in the Texas Legislature's upcoming special session.

“Despite my big win in Texas, I hear Texans want an election audit! You know your fellow Texans have big questions about the November 2020 Election,” Trump said.

“Texas needs you to act now. Your Third Special Session is the perfect, and maybe last, opportunity to pass this audit bill,” he added. “Texans know voting fraud occurred in some of their counties. Let's get to the bottom of the 2020 Presidential Election Scam!”
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/573629-trump-demands-abbott-back-election-audit-in-texas

That’s about the same reaction I have to this. I mean seriously… what questions are they asking? And who’s asking this? Alex Jones? Tucker Carlson? Any of the other right wing dipshits we hear on a daily basis? I mean Trump’s lifeline whispering sweet nothings into Sean Hannity’s ears every night has been cut off, so he needs to find a new megaphone with which to amplify his stupidity and insanity. And really he’s quite batshit insane.

Donald Trump’s letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott demanding he pursue an “audit” of the 2020 election set off a “mad dash” in the governor’s office as aides sought to figure out just how serious the former president was, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

In the letter, Trump called on Abbott to hold a “Forensic Audit of the 2020 Election" and pass HB 16, a bill recently filed in the Third Special Session of the Texas legislature, which would allow for an Arizona-style “audit” of the presidential election.

"Despite my big win in Texas, I hear Texans want an election audit!" Trump wrote in a public letter addressed to Abbott on Thursday. "Texas needs you to act now. Your Third Special Session is the perfect, and maybe last, opportunity to pass this audit bill. Time is running out."

Just hours after Trump released the letter, a statement was put out by Sam Taylor, assistant secretary of state for communications, who said the office had “already begun the process” of reviewing 2020 votes in the state’s two largest Democrat and two largest Republican counties: Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Collin. Trump only won Collin County, and Biden won Dallas, Harris and Tarrant counties in 2020.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/28/trump-texas-audit-abbott-scramble-514454

I’m guessing he most likely doesn’t. Even Abbott’s offices themselves weren’t sure what to make of this latest insanity. Now you might be asking – what the fuck are they trying to accomplish with this? And I answer you, sir or madam – the answer is well… something. And they’re doing this because… reasons. I don’t really have any explanation other than that. But I am guessing it’s a bullshit fueled conspiracy that is causing this and we probably won’t hear the end of it.

The Texas Secretary of State's Office announced Tuesday the details of a "forensic audit" of the 2020 election it launched last week, a day after former President Donald Trump suggested that Gov. Greg Abbott (R) order the audit.

The Secretary of State's Office says the audit ensures "Texas voters have confidence in the elections system" and addresses things election officials could face "that undermine the integrity of our elections."

Trump won Texas in 2020 by 5.5 percentage points and there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state. Still, it was the closest margin of victory by a GOP presidential nominee in Texas in decades.

The Secretary of State is appointed by the governor in Texas but has remained vacant since Ruth Ruggero Hughs stepped down in May.
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/lone-star-politics/texas-announces-details-of-forensic-audit-of-2020-election-results/2753747/

Yeah definitely! So why now? Why almost a year after it was announced that Biden won and all the votes have been counted, certified, and counted again? What’s that old saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me, 100,000 or more times, you must be a member of the MAGA cult! And the most infuriating thing about the MAGA cult is that they fall for scammers and con artists every time. Well could it be that they elected a con artist in chief? Yes! And he continues the con!

Officials in the Texas secretary of state's office have launched a "full and comprehensive forensic audit" of 2020 general election results in four of the state's largest counties: Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Collin.

The state agency announced the audit late Thursday in a short statement, hours after former President Donald Trump asked Gov. Greg Abbott to add an election audit bill to the agenda for the current special legislative session.

More:Trump asks Abbott to add 2020 election audit legislation to special session agenda

The statement said the agency has the authority under existing state laws to conduct election audits and that officials had "already begun the process." It did not say what prompted the audits. State elections officials told lawmakers earlier this year that the 2020 election was "smooth and secure," and data show that voter fraud is rare in the state.

In a public letter to Abbott, Trump repeated unfounded claims of voter fraud that he has advanced since he lost his reelection bid. He continues to falsely claim that the election was stolen from him, despite an investigation by his own Department of Justice that determined that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud during the election.
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2021/09/23/texas-audit-2020-election-results-four-major-counties/5838556001/

[font size="8"]Highlights from the UN General Assembly
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You know thank god we have competent leadership back in the White House. This week marked the return of the United Nations General Assembly. Now if you don’t know what this is, it’s basically a meeting where the leaders of the free world can meet and basically air their grievances or introduce new ideas to the world. You might have seen this at the end of the Marvel flick Black Panther. Well the UN general assembly is exactly like that. But of course while the world may be much freer than it was decades ago, is it really? Especially when everyone has a problem child. That problem child happens to be North Korea. Which of course as you know is run by a criminally insane mad man with access to nuclear weapons and has the entire world afraid of him. Oh wait, that’s Trump. And… wait, that’s also Trump. But that said here’s what the world’s problem child is up to.

Minutes before North Korea's representative addressed the United Nations General Assembly Monday, South Korea's military chiefs said Pyongyang had fired an "unidentified projectile" into the Sea of Japan.

North Korea's U.N. ambassador did not mention the incident during his address on the final day of the annual debate, which draws world leaders to New York.

Instead, Kim Song spoke about the bad relations between Pyongyang and Washington, attributing them to the United States' "anachronistic hostile policy" toward North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, for the past 70 years and the fact that the Korean War has never officially ended.

"The possible outbreak of a new war on the Korean Peninsula is contained not because of the U.S.'s mercy on the DPRK," Ambassador Kim added, using the abbreviation for his country’s official name the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. "It is because our state is growing reliable deterrent that can control the hostile forces in their attempts for military invasion."
https://www.voanews.com/a/afghanistan-myanmar-skip-un-general-assembly-/6247496.html

God I love that movie! So what else happened during this meeting? Well North Korea isn’t our only problem child in the world because there’s also Afghanistan and Myanmar – both of which are at the beginning of what will possibly be a very long and painful Civil War. But we definitely don’t want our far right terrorists to get any ideas from those guys. But it’s still pretty troubling that neither country made an appearance this year.

The UN representatives for Afghanistan and Myanmar were dropped from the list of speakers who were to address world leaders on Monday, the last day of the UN General Assembly in New York City.

Both the Taliban in Afghanistan and the military junta in Myanmar had written to the UN secretary-general to say their representatives to the United Nations were appointed by governments that were no longer in power.

Diplomats told news agency AFP that Washington, Beijing and Moscow appear to have brokered the move to drop each of the countries' representatives from speaking at the general debate session.

The three countries are part of a nine-member committee that decides on whether an appointed person has the credentials to represent the country at the global body.

Afghanistan's ambassador to the UN was on the speakers list until late Sunday evening. He was dropped Monday morning.
https://www.dw.com/en/un-general-assembly-ends-with-no-speeches-from-afghanistan-or-myanmar/a-59333811

Yeah that’s pretty much what it’s like there. But at least with a competent president at the helm, we get a speech like this. Could you just imagine Trump at this forum? I mean of course if he’s even invited? He would accuse half of the room of being losers and then talking about building walls and rage tweeting on the toilet. But enough about that asshole. The thing is we’ve got a lot to do if we’re going to get this planet back on track so the next several generations can enjoy it.

When President Joe Biden mounts the iconic green marble rostrum inside the hall of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, he will face an audience skeptical he really is as different from his predecessor as he likes to claim.

For world leaders who were alternately addled and amused by former President Donald Trump -- who once encountered mocking laughter from the UN crowd in the middle of his big speech -- Biden represented hope for a different era in American foreign relations. He spent his first foreign trip in June declaring across Europe that "America is back."

He continued that message in his first appearance in New York when he met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"The strong partnership between the United States and the U.N. is based on common values and principals, and at this moment, those bonds are more important than ever. America's back and we believe in the United Nations and its values," Biden said.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/20/politics/joe-biden-united-nations-donald-trump/index.html

Excuse me a minute… damn I love that movie! But you know what the biggest highlight of the 2021 UN General Assembly was? It wasn’t Biden, or COVID, or civil war, or any of the other horrifying things facing our planet. It was Korean boy band BTS. That’s right – the insanely popular Korean group that gets 1,000,000,000 hits on social media if one of the group members breathes, was the big hit at this year’s assembly. Seriously, they’ll take over the whole world at this rate!

Fans around the world look to their favourite stars for guidance and inspiration, and some K-pop stars are taking up the mantle of advocating change.

Global leaders have turned to BTS and Blackpink to share their intentions with the world.

On September 20, BTS took the floor at the United Nations
to discuss, among other things, their hope for a world where the Covid-19 pandemic is less debilitating and one where climate change
isn’t a monumental threat.

“Every choice we make is the beginning of change, not the end,” said band leader RM, during the band’s third speech to the UN since 2018. They accompanied the delegation of South Korean president Moon Jae-in, and were sworn in as presidential envoys and given diplomatic passports ahead of the trip.
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/article/3150216/bts-blackpink-un-assembly-covid-19-bts-talk-about-vaccination

[font size="8"]Steve Bannon and Alex Jones
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It's been 267 days since the attempted coup and attack on the US Capitol and every day I am asking the same damn question – why the hell haven’t Alex Jones and Steve Bannon been hauled before the Congressional committee to answer for their crimes? And look you can point out that the Former Guy pardoned Bannon for some of his crimes, but he didn’t pardon Bannon for any new ones he might have committed during his administration. And don’t think we’re letting Alex Jones off the hook either. No, both of these scumbags are knee deep in their own conspiracy theories and while the shit hasn’t quite hit the fan yet, it definitely will. I hope. So of course the representatives of the former administration are trying to keep their involvement in the events of that horrible day a secret. But it’s going to very quickly backfire on them.

In the days leading up to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol that left five people dead and more than 100 police officers wounded, one man may have been whispering in Donald Trump's ear more than any other: Steve Bannon.

In the waning days of December, Bannon was on the phone with Trump, urging the President to make January 6 -- the date of the official certification on the Electoral College vote by Congress -- a sort of final stand in his war on (nonexistent) voter fraud.

As authors Bob Woodward and Robert Costa recount in their book "Peril":

"'You've got to call Pence off the [expletive] ski slopes and get him back here today. This is a crisis.' Bannon said, referring to the vice president who was vacationing in Vail, Colorado.

"Bannon told Trump to focus on January 6. That was the moment for a reckoning.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/23/politics/steve-bannon-january-6-capitol-riot/index.html

I’m with the kid on this one. But the good news coming out of DC right now is that the committee is planning to investigate people connected with the Former Guy. The second round of hearings is coming up in the middle of October, but expect in the next round that Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino, and Steve Bannon will be hauled before the committee. Why aren’t these guys in jail yet? That should be the bigger question here!

The committee investigating the Capitol riot has issued its first subpoenas of President Trump's allies - including Mark Meadows and Steve Bannon.

The Democratic-led committee has demanded documents and called them to testify in mid-October.

A letter written by the committee's chairman suggests they were involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election that led to the deadly unrest.

Lawmakers are after information on Mr Trump's actions leading up to the riot.

The committee's first four subpoenas were issued to Mr Meadows, former White House chief of staff; Mr Bannon, Mr Trump's former advisor; former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino; and Kashyap Patel, a former Pentagon chief of staff.

"The committee is investigating the facts, circumstances, and causes of the January 6th attack and issues relating to the peaceful transfer of power," the committee said in a letter on Thursday.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58673755

I’m with you on that, sir! But where is Alex Jones? Is he currently holed up in his Infowars bunker hawking cheap merchandise? Well the good news there is that the Infowars dominos are starting to fall and we could see some very interesting information coming about Jones’ involvement in the riots very soon. Bonus points if Owen Shoyer squeals before the committee if he’s called to testify! Yeah get the popcorn and the beer ready!

A Texas talk show host for the far-right website InfoWars was arrested last month in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according the the Department of Justice.

Jonathon Owen Shroyer, the host of "The War Room with Owen Shroyer," was charged with knowingly entering a restricted building and two counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. The FBI arrested him Aug. 23 in San Antonio.

The Austin-based website features videos promoting conspiracy videos that have been banned from other online and social media sites for hate speech and misinformation, including false theories about 9/11, the Sandy Hook massacre and the coronavirus.

According to the FBI, there is livestream footage showing Shroyer marching to the Capitol with a crowd of people. Once inside, Shroyer is seen standing above the crowd on the west side of the building near the inauguration stage, the FBI said.
https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/InfoWars-Owen-Shroyer-arrested-Capitol-Riot-16430977.php

So Steve Bannon and Alex Jones could potentially be in some very deep trouble. We’ve been keeping close tabs on the riots since it happened and we will continue to do so. But what we do know is that two Infowars hosts have been arrested in coordination with the attack. And that’s two too many! So could Alex Jones potentially be arrested? Well he absolutely should answer for his crimes but in what capacity certainly remains to be seen. But we also do know that the Oath Keepers are in some real trouble!

Court records show that of the more than 500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection, no one was more coordinated in their efforts to disrupt the congressional certification of the U.S. electoral votes than individuals like these.

The people in the Capitol steps formation were Oath Keepers, militarily-trained people who spoke with one another about commitment to their "oath" — one to "uphold the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Their ranks included active-duty military, veterans and some with law enforcement experience, people who had joined up with the organization since its founding in 2009. The group’s motto, "not on our watch," emphasized a level of vigilance against a perceived threat that could strike at any time.

Their leaders sent top-down messages ordering members to protest and fight. Some trained before they came and brought armor, tools and weapons. They raised money for protective gear and travel to D.C. Some attacked police. In many cases, prosecutors say, members of far-right groups helped escalate the rally into a full-on attack.

Of approximately 40 people facing conspiracy charges as of early September, 19 were associated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia, according to PolitiFact’s review of court files. Another 17 were affiliated with the Proud Boys extremist group. As part of PolitiFact’s ongoing look at how misinformation fueled the events of Jan. 6, we examined the case files of defendants associated with Oath Keepers and found they tell a story of preparation, communication and structure.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/sep/23/everything-we-trained-how-far-right-oath-keepers-m/

[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: China’s Cryptocurrency Ban
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It's time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!

The cryptocurrency boom has created some interesting characters. Most notably a group that calls themselves “the Blockchain Bros”. But recently the Chinese crackdown has created a huge bust for burgeoning cryptocurrencies around the globe. So could the fun be over for the Blockchain Bros? Yes probably. How is the internet world scrambling to keep up with what’s been going on in China? Well there’s been a lot of speculation about the cryptocurrency ban. And what its’ doing to the markets, and it's going to bring a world of hurt to crypto miners. But just like in the gold rush of 1890, in the end, the people who are really getting rich off the crypto mining boom are the ones who are selling the mining equipment. So how is the fun going to end for mining firms and blockchain bros? Well let’s just say we’ve only just begun.

Cryptocurrency exchanges and providers of crypto services are scrambling to sever business ties with mainland Chinese clients, after Beijing issued last week a blanket ban on all crypto trading and mining.

In a culmination of years of efforts to rein in the sector, 10 powerful Chinese government bodies including the central bank said overseas exchanges were barred from providing services to mainland investors via the internet – a previously grey area – and promised to jointly root out “illegal” cryptocurrency activities.

“While this is not a surprise as China has ‘banned’ crypto many times in the past, this time there is no ambiguity,” said Henri Arslanian, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) crypto leader and partner, on Twitter. “Crypto transactions and crypto services of all kind are banned in China. No room for discussion. No gray area.”

Huobi Global and Binance, two of the world’s largest exchanges and popular with Chinese users, have stopped new registrations of accounts by mainland customers. Huobi also said it would clean up existing ones by the end of the year.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/9/27/with-chinese-ban-final-on-crypto-firms-scramble-to-sever-ties

So is China going to finally finish the job or not of banning crypto currency? The logistics of it are complex but could it do long lasting damage to the economy? Part of the problem with crypto currency is that there’s no central governing bank backing the money, like there is for printed currency. And the other part is that crypto currency can be very easily stolen. But that said, China is getting very serious this time around.

China's central bank has announced that all transactions of crypto-currencies are illegal, effectively banning digital tokens such as Bitcoin.

"Virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial activities," the People's Bank of China said, warning it "seriously endangers the safety of people's assets".

China is one of the world's largest crypto-currency markets.

Fluctuations there often impact the global price of crypto-currencies.

The price of Bitcoin fell by more than $2,000 (£1,460) in the wake of the Chinese announcement.

It is the latest in China's national crackdown on what it sees as a volatile, speculative investment at best - and a way to launder money at worst.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58678907

So crypto currency is a hot bed for underground illegal activity, which is part of the reason why China wants to ban it. Not to mention some of the people who’ve got really rich off crypto mining are people who you wouldn’t trust with 15 cents, let alone 15 million dollars. Also just like the Gold Rush. But China’s crackdown on Crypto mining is having an effect on Bitcoin and other coins all around the globe, and it will be interesting to see what happens.

China's most powerful regulators on Friday intensified a crackdown on cryptocurrencies with a blanket ban on all crypto transactions and mining, hitting bitcoin and other major coins and pressuring crypto and blockchain-related stocks.

Ten agencies, including the central bank, financial, securities and foreign exchange regulators, vowed to work together to root out "illegal" cryptocurrency activity, the first time the Beijing-based regulators have joined forces to explicitly ban all cryptocurrency-related activity.

China in May banned financial institutions and payment companies from providing services related to cryptocurrency transactions, and issued similar bans in 2013 and 2017.

The repeated prohibitions highlight the challenge of closing loopholes and identifying bitcoin-related transactions, though banks and payment firms say they support the effort.
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-central-bank-vows-crackdown-cryptocurrency-trading-2021-09-24/

So the door is closing and the fun might be over for the blockchain bros and crypto miners and all of the other insane things to come out of the crypto mining craze that have made life both interesting and miserable at the same time. Go ahead live it up with your Lamborghinis and your lavish lifestyles because when this thing goes bust, your life will go with it. But then again the ban could have the reverse effect that China is hoping for, and it might not have anything to do with greenhouse gases.

Last week, the Peoples’ Bank of China made an unprecedented move, declaring all cryptocurrency transactions in the country illegal. Crypto exchanges are reportedly scrambling to drop Chinese users before the ban comes into effect, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether dropped as much as 7% when the ban was announced. (They have since largely recovered, on which more below).

China’s robust cryptocurrency mining market — which was responsible for 53% of Bitcoin mining worldwide as of February of this year — is effectively dead in the water. Chinese companies have reportedly ceased to sell cryptocurrency mining hardware, with major players like Alibaba blocking new sales. The reasons behind China’s cryptocurrency ban are complex. Ultimately, however, the country’s move is great news for cryptocurrencies — politically, economically, and environmentally.

China’s ban might feel sudden, but it’s actually been a long time coming. According to Business Insider, China banned banks from handling cryptocurrency transactions as early as 2013, reiterating the ban in 2017. In June of this year, the country cracked down on cryptocurrency miners, forcing many to move overseas. Viewed in that light, China’s blanket ban is perhaps surprising in its comprehensiveness, but it’s not exactly unexpected. Indeed, the speed with which crypto prices recovered following the ban’s announcement suggests that crypto investors were expecting it, and had already priced the ban into their coin investments.
https://onezero.medium.com/chinas-ban-is-great-news-for-cryptocurrencies-17233acdba22

That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.

My fair congregation! Please be seated! Now I notice a great many of you happen to be wearing tin foil hats today. That is because conspiracy theories are running a foul with our brothers and sisters on the right side of things. Now let me ask you this – why are religious people so prone to believing in insane conspiracy theories? Well there’s no real answer for that but it seems like the crazier they are the more likely they are to believe them. But when you have pastors and podcasts that they listen to who are peddling these theories, they’re part of the problem. And I’m sure that’s not what our good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now is it? But let’s take a look at some of the insane theories that they believe in and there’s plenty of them to pick from. Well for starters let’s start with our old buddy David Barton who is a religious “historian” that gets it wrong every single time. Well wait until you hear his latest piece of claptrap! This might be one of his most insane theories yet!

Probably or maybe not depending on how these crazy people act on their beliefs! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! But before you do, just remember that we are but 10 short days away from the premiere of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons! Sunday October 10th at 4:00 PM. Now you may go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]The Pride Files
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Welcome to our first ever segment on the ongoing issues that are affecting the LGBT community, the Pride Files! And we picked quite the insane week to kick things off. I want to start with movies. I’m really excited that things are getting back to where we were before this nightmare pandemic happened. But one movie specifically has people up in arms, and that’s Marvel’s upcoming film The Eternals. It’s a movie that was originally supposed to be released last year, but got delayed because of the you know what. But that’s not the controversy. Oh no, my friends! The controversy is – wait for it – the evil gays because Marvel put a gay superhero in their movies. But this once again proves the sheer and utter ridiculousness of LGBT representation in cinema. And I don’t blame Marvel one bit for wanting to please everyone.

Marvel's Eternals gets saddled with a mature rating in Russia because of its openly gay superhero. Following the blockbuster success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the MCU will once again return to theaters in November with Eternals. The millennia-spanning film was originally scheduled to premiere last year, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed it to 2021. Just like Shang-Chi, Eternals will receive a theaters-only release and hopefully continue to further the domestic box office's recovery. Aiding the movie's prospects are its star-studded cast and director, Chloé Zhao, who made history earlier this year by winning Best Director at the Oscars.

Eternals stands to be among the MCU's most diverse projects yet, between its inclusive ensemble and its firsts. In addition to having the franchise's first deaf hero in Lauren Ridloff's Makkari, Eternals holds its first openly gay character. Brian Tyree Henry plays Phastos, one of the Eternals who creates the team's weapons and tech. He's confirmed to be married to another man, and the two will reportedly share a kiss onscreen. After years of fans calling for genuine LGBTQ representation in the MCU, Eternals has the potential to be a major step forward.

And yet, it's receiving some slight pushback from Russia over this. According to Kino Metro, a Russian film site, Eternals has been rated 18+, which is the country's mature equivalent and considered to be "prohibited for children." For comparison's sake, per The Direct, most MCU films receive a 12+ (The Avengers, Ant-Man and the Wasp) or a 16+ (Avengers: Endgame, Black Widow) in Russia, making Eternals the first to go higher. The country has done this before over gay content in movies, as it gave Power Rangers an 18+ rating as well in 2017.

Whether this also means Russia will cut some of the scenes from Eternals that outwardly depict Phastos' sexuality remains to be seen, though there has been precedence for this in other countries. For example, the brief lesbian kiss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was removed in countries like the United Arab Emirates back in 2019. Censorship like this or rating a movie higher simply because it includes LGBTQ content is disappointing, particularly since projects with heterosexual romances never get the same treatment.

https://screenrant.com/eternals-mcu-movie-rating-russia-phastos-gay/

Yeah yeah think of the children think of the children. Right. I’ll tell you who’s not thinking of the children is Tennessee moms! So here’s the thing – two women kissing on a parade float – would that be cause for outrage in 2021? No? You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But then again this is rural Tennessee we’re talking about here. And really people, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Because in 2021 there’s far worse things to be outraged about!

A contentious school board meeting was held in Tennessee on Monday night after a video released on social media by a local chapter of Moms for Liberty showed two girls briefly kissing on a Pride float in their local high school’s homecoming parade. The conservative group also accused folks on the float of groping and even exposing a breast. Indy Pride, the local LGBTQ+ group responsible for the float, said the parents were overreacting to the kiss and denied the other allegations.

“WCS parents, did you know yesterday’s Independence High School’s homecoming parade included an LGBTQ+ float, that was paraded in front of Thompson Station Elementary & Middle School students, featuring two girls kissing?” the Moms For Liberty chapter in Williamson County, Tennessee tweeted last week.

The post went on to suggest a youth in the parade was handing out bisexual “recruitment” cards, though those just ended uo being information pamphlets about Bi Week.

Sophomore student Spencer Lyst, the president and founder of Indy Pride, denied the allegations.
https://www.out.com/news/2021/9/24/two-girls-kissing-homecoming-float-enraged-right-wing-moms

Good point, Moe! Next up – international LGBT news! You know it’s not just America’s LGBT community that is facing insanity coming from the Christian right. As we keep saying on this program it’s a global phenomenon and these assholes are literally the same no matter where you go. Except for maybe New Zealand, they might actually have a handle on the volatility of the Christian right. So yeah if you’re thinking of relocating, maybe relocate to New Zealand.

More than 100,000 people have sent in submissions on New Zealand’s plan to ban LGBTQ conversion practices – more than have ever been made on a piece of legislation.

“We’ve already made history with this movement and we’re not even done,” said Shaneel Lal, an activist and organiser in the movement to ban conversion practices. “People really and truly care about this because in 2021 it is not appropriate to erase queer identities.”

The government received a total of 106,700 submissions on the bill, which will make it a crime to conduct conversion practices – or attempting to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity.

It is more than double the submissions received on other recent controversial legislation, including the End of Life euthanasia bill, which Stuff reported was the previous record-holder at 40,000 submissions. It was close to five times the number of submissions received on the bill legalising same-sex marriage in 2013.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/113755683

OK yes! Think of the children! Think of the children! But you know I want to end with some good news, don’t want you to think this segment is all fearmongering and doom and gloom. How about we end with this story out of Iowa where this teacher was placed on leave after admitting that he’s bisexual, so you won’t believe what these students did next. I went all Buzzfeed there on that sentence, didn’t I? Well here's what happened next!

Cora Smith walked out of Winterset's High School Tuesday with a bisexual pride flag draped over her shoulders.

The 10th grader was among more than 100 students who walked out a in protest over the school district placing seventh-grade literacy teacher Lucas Kaufmann on leave.

Kaufmann was placed on leave last week following a presentation about himself to his class featured the LGBT Pride flag, according to a www.change.org petition. When asked by students, Kaufmann said he was bisexual.

Nearly 1,500 people have signed the online petition. "We're hoping that this will help Mr. Kaufmann," Smith said.

Winterset Community School District Superintendent Justin Gross confirmed Kaufmann was placed on leave after concerns were raised following his presentation, but declined further comment. State law prohibits employers from firing employees based on sexual orientation and gender identification, which Gross acknowledged.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/07/iowa-students-lucas-kaufmann-administrative-leave/576377500

[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to our segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable, Conspiracy Corner! We are coming to you live of course from our underground doomsday shelter deep in the New Mexico badlands – undisclosed location of course. Let me just adjust my tin foil hat for maximum government interference and… ah there we go! This week we’re taking a look at conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines and vaccine mandates – of which there are many to choose from! And you know those right wing lunatics who are crashing school boards and city council meetings? Oh you’d better expect that to get worse before this nightmare is finally over. But not quite! There are anti-vaxxers everywhere! It doesn’t matter if you are in the military or the NBA. But you will encounter one of these cretins at least once during the day. And calling them “deplorable” is a bit of an understatement – these morons are utterly despicable!

Kyrie Irving was not present for the Brooklyn Nets pre-season media day at Barclays Center, where city law requires athletes to have at least one dose of Covid vaccination to participate in team activities.

Appearing from his house for a brief press conference with reporters, Irving declined to answer directly four separate questions regarding his vaccination and playing status, after this story raised questions of whether he might skip home games to avoid public-health regulations. “Living in this public sphere, there’s a lot of questions about what’s going on in the world of Kyrie,” he said, “and I would love to just keep that private and handle that the right way with my team and go forward with a plan.”

Irving’s teammates dodged questions on Monday about what such a plan might be. San Francisco city officials removed religious and medical exemptions from their policy on Friday, emboldening the NBA’s decision to deny an application from the Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins. A league source said any comment on further applications for exemptions in New York would make too clear who had applied; the New York Knicks have said their team is 100-percent vaccinated, but the Nets, this season’s prohibitive championship favorite, have at least one elusive holdout.

One by one, the basketball players — non-vaccinated star here, fully-inoculated veteran on mute down there, a full-on anti-vaxxer front-and-center — logged into the video conference. The annual summer meeting of the powerful NBA union had gone virtual again on August 7, and high on the agenda for the season ahead was a proposed mandate from the league office that 100 percent of players get vaccinated against Covid-19.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/nba-anti-vaxxers-covid-1231988/

Dude, seriously – the NBA is the last place where this shit should be pushed around. I mean come on you have guys in close contact breathing on each other and sweating all over the place, that’s not a place for infectious diseases to arise! Thank you audience! But if that’s not enough, the king of conspiracy theorists – our old buddy Tucker Carlson – is kicking his bullshit into overdrive over the military’s vaccine requirements. Does he not know that active duty military get injected with literally every other vaccine known to man?

Fox News host Tucker Carlson has been spouting conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine—and COVID in general—since the topic first graced the nightly news more than a year ago. But now that Joe Biden has issued a mandatory vaccination order for federal employees, he’s kicking things into high gear. This week, Carlson trained his eyes on the U.S. military—which in the past he has accused of promoting feminist ideology and critical race theory—suggesting that the mandate is a White House power grab. “The army is essential for political control,” he said, adding that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has manufactured “a new political purity test. One designed to separate the obedient from the free.”

In that vein, he continued: “The point of mandatory vaccination is to identify the sincere Christians in the ranks, the free thinkers, the men with high testosterone levels, and anyone else who doesn’t love Joe Biden and make them leave immediately.” He did not mention that the Department of Defense has had vaccine requirements in place for years, or that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that the vaccine reduces testosterone levels.

He then proposed a red herring, pointing to veteran suicide rates as more worthy of attention than COVID. “Only 46 members of the entire U.S. military have died from the coronavirus over the last year and a half. Suicides, by contrast, kill many, many times more,” he said. “So, military suicide is an actual crisis that the Pentagon might want to address. Lloyd Austin might want to look into that. But, no, that would get the Democratic Party nothing.” (As recently as July, Austin addressed the veteran suicide epidemic during a press conference at Eielson Air Force Base. “I’m deeply concerned about the suicide rates, not only here but across the force,” he said. “One loss by suicide is too many. While we’re working hard on this problem, we have a lot more to do.”)
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/09/militarys-covid-vaccine-mandate-tucker-carlson

Yeah probably! So what do you call it when it’s not suicide and people are voluntarily dying from a now preventable illness? I personally call it “VDBP” – Voluntary Death By Propaganda! You know since this segment began last year – which currently feels like it was 15 years ago – we’ve gone over literally every conspiracy theory in the book. But what’s driving this madness? Well for one thing being isolated at home has really done a number on Q Anon nuts who are driving this crap.

When Sarah Wildes, a seventh grade teacher in Alabama, was asked by a student about the mass confusion surrounding the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, she knew she had a big job in front of her.

“I have to tread lightly, but I pointed out that we do know,” said Wildes, a science and technology teacher at Sparkman Middle School in the small town of Toney. “There are facts. There have been committees who reviewed the election. The numbers show us a truth, but the social media bubbles confuse us about that truth.”

Wildes and teachers across the country face a vexing and evolving challenge as the new school year begins and students return to the classroom following a roughly 18-month hiatus from normal in-person learning. Since the last time full classrooms congregated, a whole industry of misinformation has exploded online, spreading conspiracy theories on everything from the alleged steal of the presidential election, which Joe Biden won, to the prevalence of microchips in Covid-19 vaccines.

It’s bad enough that kids are exposed to dangerous untruths across their favorite social media apps like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. An equally large problem is that, while stuck at home during the pandemic, many students had their days of virtual schooling interrupted by screaming parents, who themselves had fallen deep into the internet’s darkest rabbit holes.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/04/qanon-and-anti-vaxxers-brainwashed-kids-stuck-at-home-during-pandemic.html

Ah yes it’s the classic red pill – blue pill dilemma. The people who’ve taken the red pill should fail to realize that this movie was written by two trans women and is actually a metaphor for how trans people are treated in society. But getting back to my point, staying at home for the last year and a half really amplified how much social media propaganda is screwing with people’s brains. This shit isn’t anything new either, it happened 100 years ago too. But now that people are emerging from the basement Zoom calls, so is the propaganda!

A controversial billboard advertising against COVID-19 vaccination mandates has been making the rounds across Texas and the U.S., and now Houston is its latest host.

The billboard, best recognized by its bold message, "DON'T BE BULLIED" was spotted this week along Interstate 45, near 9000 North Freeway.

A Minnesota organization, Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom, is the group behind the nationwide campaign and aims to build resistance to the vaccination mandates that the organization claims are currently being used as an effort to coerce Americans into getting the “jab.”

"The vaccination mandates and the associated bullying of those who choose not to get the shot is '...a power grab in the name of public health,'" said CCHF president and co-founder, Twila Brase.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/coronavirus/article/Don-t-Be-Bullied-anti-vaccination-mandate-16482449.php

[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 the idea behind this segment is that we have some drinks and we literally talk about anything in the news as long as it doesn’t involve politics. Because there is some seriously dark shit out there, so why not take a look at the lighter side of the news while indulging in our favorite beverages? That’s one of life’s few remaining pleasures! And I’m so happy I get to drink in front of an audience again! Safety protocols first, of course. This week, you know I love a good beef. And right now this is one of the beefiest beefs to ever beef. Tell me bartender, what goes well with a story about a music beef? A meat juice cocktail? What’s in that? No thanks I’ll just stick to my usual Jack Daniels mixed with Jack Daniels. So who’s beefing this week? In this corner, we have heavy metal demi-god Corey Taylor, leader of the band Slipknot! And in this corner, we have failed rapper turned movie star turned Blink 182 protégé Machine Gun Kelly! Trust us, this one’s gonna get real weird real quick!

If you're a rock or metal fan, chances are you've heard at least something about the feud that's been going on between Slipknot's Corey Taylor and Machine Gun Kelly recently. In case you need a concise explanation of what the heck is going on, we've got you covered.

While it may appear that Kelly started the drama unprovoked earlier this month when he dissed Slipknot during his set at Riot Fest, the saga actually publicly started in February of this year with an interview that Taylor did. The 'Knot frontman insulted Kelly's change in musical direction from rap to rock without directly saying his name, but he certainly didn't hide his sentiments about it.

As the musicians started going back and forth at each other on social media, it was revealed that the quarrel actually began back when Taylor recorded a verse for MGK's 2020 album Tickets to My Downfall, which ultimately didn't make it on the album.

Back in February, Taylor did an interview with Cutter's Rockcast where he indirectly referenced Kelly's change in musical direction. They were discussing genres and trends, and Taylor said, "I am the worst old, fogey dude shaking his cane ever. And I hate everything, I hate all new rock for the most part — well, the artists who failed in one genre and decided to go rock. And I think he knows who he is, but that’s another story.”

https://loudwire.com/summary-corey-taylor-machine-gun-kelly-feud/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Yeah keep ‘em coming! So it started with Taylor doing a verse on Machine Gun Kelly’s album from last year called “Tickets To My Downfall” and the verse didn’t make it onto the album. But here’s the thing that we’ve learned about the world of the beef – don’t throw shade at someone and then keep throwing shade at them! You know when you’re in a hole, the last thing you want to do is to keep digging. Yeah… dig up, stupid! Gotta love Chief Wiggum! But here’s how that went and it totally backfired in his face.

UPDATE (9/21): Machine Gun Kelly and Corey Taylor have taken their bickering to the final frontier — Twitter. On Monday, September 20th, MGK explained his side of the beef, saying Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor had recorded a verse for a song on Tickets to My Downfall, but “it was fucking terrible, so I didn’t use it.” MGK added: “He got mad about it, and talked shit to a magazine about the same album he was almost on. Y’all’s stories are all off. Just admit he’s bitter.”

About an hour later, Taylor replied: “I don’t like people airing private shit like a child. So this is all I’ll say: I didn’t do the track because I don’t like when people try to ‘write’ for me. I said NO to THEM.” Taylor proceeded to produce some “#receipts” in the form of an email exchange between him and Tickets to My Downfall co-producer, Travis Barker. Barker’s initial email included some notes from MGK — among them, “Can u tell him he fuckin killed it and I’m so stoked and HONORED he is even on it wtf !!!!” and “fuck yea tell him he rocks” — but in his reply, Taylor admitted that he wasn’t feeling some of the musical changes MGK was suggesting.

“I listened to the ideas and to be honest, I don’t think I’m the right guy for the track,” Taylor wrote. “Nothing personal, I just think if this is what MGK is looking for, someone else is the guy to do it. It’s ALL good, and I’m stoked for him — I hope you guys find the right fit for it. Hope you understand and I wish you guys the best with it. If I can help in any way, let me know.”

Machine Gun Kelly, hot off his red carpet “bout” with Conor McGregor at the MTV Video Music Awards, kept his fighting spirit alive by taking a few shots at Slipknot during their competing sets at Riot Fest in Chicago Sunday night, September 19th.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/machine-gun-kelly-who-dyed-tongue-black-thinks-its-weird-slipknot-wear-masks-1229255/

Oh man nothing beats a good aged whisky… ah! OK the Corey Taylor beef I get… but why would you go after Conor McGregor? You know that dude is a loose cannon. And you can’t have a black tongue and think it’s weird to wear masks! At least the masks you can take off! Now here’s where it gets weird and I told you it was going to. Of course MGK went and took things a bit too far, and don’t do that without getting shit thrown back at you in return!

Machine Gun Kelly has sure been getting into some scrapes recently. First, the rapper-turned-pop-punk hopeful got into a scrap with Conor McGregor at the VMAs, before using his spot on the Riot Fest bill to very publicly diss Slipknot while on stage.

The latter altercation led to a whole internet shit-storm which saw aggrieved metal fans and Maggots – as well as Corey Taylor himself – pile on to take swipes at Kelly online. But the ill-feeling wasn't contained to the internet, and carried on throughout the duration of his performance at this weekend's Louder Than Life festival in Kentucky.

As the vocalist took to the stage at the event – which mostly billed artists of the heavier persuasion – MGK found himself face to face with a sea of booing punters and middle fingers. Obviously, a lot of Slipknot fans were there in attendance.

Later in the set, MGK made his way to the photo pit, and was confronted by two fans jumping the barrier. As the evening's hostility reached boiling point, MGK was seen taking a swing at one of the fans, resulting in security stepping in to separate them. Seriously MGK, ever heard of Yoga? Meditation? Not giving a fuck? Perhaps not.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/machine-gun-kelly-throws-punch-at-fan-gets-booed-by-audience-and-dissed-by-triviums-matt-heafy

Somehow I don’t think that’s not nearly enough! Now this is the point in the beef where the manager of one side usually tells the person that they might want to take a step back and reevaluate things. But seriously, Machine Gun, you might want to do that. You’re clearly on the losing end of this fight because Corey Taylor is just too powerful of a voice in the metal community. So really… yeah take my advice and you might want to get away for a while. Even Tracy Jordan knew when he got crazy and pretended to be a Jedi that was where he hit rock bottom, so…

Following a week of beefing with Slipknot, Machine Gun Kelly was greeted with a chorus of boos throughout the singer-rapper’s Saturday set at the metal-leaning Louder Than Life Festival.

Last weekend, Machine Gun Kelly launched into a tirade at Chicago’s Riot Fest against Slipknot — who were playing at the same time on a neighboring stage — calling the group “old weird dudes with masks.” It was later revealed that there was some residual animosity over a nixed collaboration between MGK and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor.

MGK — an artist who, as Taylor hinted, “failed in one genre and decided to go rock” — brought his new punk sound to the metal-purist Louisville, Kentucky festival Saturday, and the reception was not welcoming: According to reports and video from the gig, after every song that Kelly performed, a serenade of boos and middle fingers rose up from the crowd.

At one point, Kelly got into verbally with a festival-goer, even threatening him with a Star Wars light saber that was onstage for some reason:

“I see you dude, I see you mad as fuck in your weird fucking outfit. I’m here for the same shit you’re here for, so it’s all good. Clearly, I’m not going nowhere, so just enjoy.” he told the audience member. “You keep fuckin’ with me, homie? Trained Jedi, bitch!”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/machine-gun-kelly-booed-louder-than-life-fest-1232585/

[font size="8"]Road To Recall: The Final Chapter
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Welcome back to our very last and final edition of Road To Recall! And I really hope that this is the last time we have to talk about conservatives attempting to steal elections from liberal politicians. Because this is just McCarthyism gone berserk. Look, I know that we’re all tired of these shenanigans and I know they must stop. So the question remains – how do we prevent this from happening again? Well that has been the talking point for most of the last couple of weeks here in The Golden State. And really unfortunately there’s no good answer. But you know what Newsom’s real success was? Larry Elder. Yup that’s right! His biggest opponent in the election was also the key to his success. Because Larry Elder is one of those guys who tries to impress people with his knowledge, but really, he comes off looking like an idiot.

Earlier this year, when California Gov. Gavin Newsom was searching for the right message to convince disengaged Democrats to vote against the effort to oust him in Tuesday's recall election, it would have been impossible to imagine a more perfect foil than conservative talk radio host Larry Elder.

In this deep blue state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1 and only one governor has successfully been recalled, few progressive voters had viewed the recall of their governor as a real possibility until late July, when the polls tightened. The Delta coronavirus variant was taking hold, angering many vaccinated Californians, who had thought the worst was behind them. And Elder, who had announced his candidacy earlier that month, emerged as Newsom's chief opponent, promising that one of his first acts would be to eliminate the governor's mandate for state workers to get vaccinated or else face weekly testing.

Many Democratic voters in a state that President Joe Biden won by nearly 30 points had not engaged or paid much attention as Newsom made an amorphous argument that the recall was an attempted Republican takeover by acolytes of former President Donald Trump and a symbol of the enduring hold of "Trumpism."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/larry-elder-covid-newsom-recall/index.html

Yeah there’s a lot of losers this week. A couple of winners, but mostly losers. And while this victory may be sweet, the war is just beginning. As I said last week there’s lots of recalls happing in other parts of the country and some of those could succeed. But the question here in California is how do we prevent the next partisan power grab? Is it a sign that democracy is failing or is it a wake up call to how badly conservatives want to gain power? It’s about 50/50.

An ominous four-word message issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign on the morning of Aug. 5 served as the shock Democrats needed to take seriously a recall election that could remove him from office: “This recall is close.”

Newsom’s warning in a fundraising email came just days after a poll indicated the once-popular Democratic governor who was elected in a 2018 landslide was facing the unthinkable prospect of losing his job in a state that hadn’t elected a Republican in a statewide race in 15 years.

The race is “close enough to start thinking about what it’d be like if we had a Republican governor in California. Sorry to put the thought in your head, but it’s true,” Newsom’s campaign wrote.

The alarmist message was quickly incorporated into Newsom’s remarks on the campaign trail – he was in serious trouble, he warned. The sequence of events combined to create a turning point in the race and helped energize California’s dominant Democratic voters, who until then appeared to be greeting the contest with a collective shrug.
https://apnews.com/article/california-recall-how-newsrom-turned-tide-94ec35b222a529e8ef97a023e342af41

Though the one thing about this recall election – besides revealing how many truly awful people live in California – is that it’s very eye opening about the changing demographics of the state. Will this be a model of what to watch in 2022? Because the midterms are coming and it’s a chance to give Joe Biden and the Dems their grades. But one alarming statistic out of the recall election is Riverside County, which went hard MAGA in this election. And they’re one of the largest in this state.

Riverside County is poised to become the largest county in California where voters favored recalling California Gov. Gavin Newsom in this month’s special election, according to an updated ballot count posted Monday afternoon.

Newsom easily survived the recall attempt at a statewide level, however the “yes” side in Riverside County is ahead with 50.5% of the vote, out of a total of more than 717,000 ballots cast in the county.

Only a few hundred ballots remain to be counted in Riverside County, and the next round of results will be posted upon the election's certification Thursday, according to the county registrar of voters. Once all county officials have reported their official tallies, the California Secretary of State is expected to certify the election results Oct. 22.

The “no” side was initially leading in Riverside County on Election Night and in a few subsequent updates, but a majority of the county's voters ultimately decided to support the unsuccessful recall attempt.
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/09/27/california-recall-riverside-county-votes-yes-removing-newsom/5892215001/

Yup! And here’s the thing you have to realize about elections – they’re all about star power! And the closest thing that they had to a star? Larry Elder! The reason why Arnold Schwarzenegger won in 2008 was because he had star power! Who did they have? Talk radio hosts… executives… car dealer owners… retail clerks. You think any of them had a chance? Hell no! Which leaves us with Caitlyn Jenner. Sorry, but you lose. And the GOP is more divisive than it’s ever been. You chose this path, you live with it!

Caitlyn Jenner said Tuesday she would run for political office again following her participation in California's recent gubernatorial recall election, which she said "opened my eyes to political life."

Jenner, a reality-TV personality and former Olympic athlete, was one of 46 candidates who campaigned to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom in the state's September 14 vote. The recall was ultimately unsuccessful in ousting Newsom from office after a majority of California voters decided to keep the Democrat for the remainder of his term.

Jenner addressed the election during a Tuesday appearance on The View and was asked if she would consider running for political office again.

"Would I run again? Yes," Jenner said. "I want to stay involved. It really opened my eyes to political life."
https://www.newsweek.com/caitlyn-jenner-says-failed-california-recall-opened-my-eyes-political-life-1633619

This concludes our 4 part mini-series! Back to Red State Diaries next week! The end! We did it!

[font size="8"]And Now This:[/font]
[font size="8”]Primus[/font]

My next musical guest are touring paying tribute to one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time, Rush! You can see them on the “A Farewell To Kings” Tour with Wolfmother through October 30th which includes a stop here in Denver October 21st and 22nd! Playing the Rush classic Xanadu, give it up for Primus!

Thank you Denver! We’re off to Long Beach next with the famous Wheel Of Corruption and live music from Pearl Jam! Also don’t forget next week is the taping of the series premiere of Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons!

See you next week!

Credits

Host: Initech
Top 10 Conservative Idiots Recorded At: Comedy Works, Denver, CO
Primus appears courtesy of: Prawn Song Records
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Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo

September 23, 2021

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-9: We've Got The Biggest Balls Of Them All Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-9: We’ve Got The Biggest Balls Of Them All Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Yo! What’s up Houston? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? Great! It’s good to be back in the Lone Star State! It’s been literally two years since we were here last. We’ve got a lot of good stuff for you this week too! We’ve also got some awesome music from Modest Mouse. I saw Issac and the guys backstage! Yeah buy their new album “The Golden Casket” or you are no friend of this program. That said, congratulations to Ted Lasso for winning like every Emmy award on the planet! And it’s truly a great show at that. But speaking of shows, I want to talk about dueling bands. Yeah I love a good beef, in case you don’t know. But this beef seems like something that is totally weird and unexpected. You know last year Machine Gun Kelly released his rock debut “Tickets To My Downfall” which actually was pretty good if you like that kind of music. But the beef comes from a metal band that I love, Slipknot. So MGK called Slipknot “old dudes with masks”. And then Slipknot responded… well actually Slipknot responded by deciding to simply ignore what Machine Gun Kelly was saying. Which is definitely better for a band who wrote a song called “People = Shit”. I kid, I kid. But seriously, Machine Gun, have you seen Rolling Stones? Or Iron Maiden? Or U2? Or even Elton John? Or Kiss? All old dudes who rock! And Kiss wears masks and platform shoes too! OK enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first:

Where do we begin this week? Well in the number one slot this week is of course our now *FORMER* president, Donald J. Trump (1). Did you know that between the election and the inauguration we were teetering on the brink of nuclear war? Yeah we came that close and we have to thank General Milley for spilling the beans on this near disaster! In the second slot this week, holy shit, this is the kind of story the Top 10 was made for, and when I first saw the Tucker Carlson clip, I could not stop laughing. I’m of course talking about the Nicki Minaj (2) tweet about anti-vaxxers, and this isn’t going away any time soon. Taking the number 3 slot this week is the Justice For Jan 6th rally (3) and it was quite the spectacular failure. Yeah no you morons, the rioters are not political prisoners, they’re prisoners. And why did Batman show up? WTF? Plus the conspiracy theorist in chief Roger Stone got served live on the air! Taking the #4 slot this week is our old buddy Mike Lindell (4). Why the hell did he meet with the secretary of state of Alabama to look at the ballot? Trump won that state! Move along, pillow man! In the number 5 slot, we have the return of one of our old favorite segments – We’re All Gonna Die (5) and this week, the earth really is getting hotter, and conservatives once again have their head buried in the sand on this subject. Taking the number 6 slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” (6) and this week our old buddy Sean Feucht is back and bringing his super spreader events with him, and even the Dark One will be making a surprise appearance at one of them. Yeah gross. In the number 7 slot this week is a new “Beating A Dead Horse” (7) and this week – Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine compared mask mandates to tyranny, but really he wouldn’t know tyranny if it jumped up and bit him on the ass! In the number 8 slot this week we have a new “This Fucking Guy” and this week we’re profiling super far right pastor and noted MAGA conspiracy theorist Greg Locke in a new edition of This Fucking Guy! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week we have a new People Are Dumb, because of course they are! Finally this week we have the third installment of our 4 part series “Road To Recall” (10) and this week the California recall madness is spreading to other states, but Florida may have the upper hand in actually recalling a governor! Enjoy! Plus we’ve got some live music from Modest Mouse! Buy their new album “The Golden Casket” or you are no friend of the show! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]The Former Guy
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We may never really know just how close we came to losing democracy in the time between Nov. 11th, 2020, and January 6th, 2021. We may never really know just how insane Donald Trump went after he lost the 2020 election. How close we came to war. How close we came to him declaring the election null and void. Or any of the other batshit crazy things that he had planned. He could have started World War III and we came that close. Thank god we had some cooler heads working behind the scenes to prevent Fat Donny from doing something extremely terrible. But Bill Maher was right – whatever terrible thing you think you might have seen – get it in writing so it doesn’t happen again! Losing presidents stay like the losers that they are! Someone like Trump should not have access to the nuclear launch codes if he’s deemed a threat. Thank god for General Milley!

Just days after the fatal Capitol insurrection on January 6, Trump's top military adviser secretly maneuvered to stop Donald Trump from "going rogue" and launching an all-out nuclear war with China, according to bombshell revelations from a forthcoming book excerpted by CNN and The Washington Post.

The book, titled "Peril," was written by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, and provides a never-before-seen glimpse into Trump's presidency, which apparently culminated in fears that Trump might initiate a last-minute military attack.

During Trump's final days in office, the book describes, Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, grew increasingly "certain that Trump had gone into a serious mental decline in the aftermath of the election." The president was reportedly "all but manic, screaming at officials and constructing his own alternate reality about endless election conspiracies."

At one point, Milley thought the president might "go rogue" and engage in drastic military action, telling his staff: "You never know what a president's trigger point is."
https://www.salon.com/2021/09/14/top-general-feared-all-out-nuclear-with-china-in-final-days-new-woodward-book-alleges/

Uh… General Milley? Have you been following the last 5 years,, sir? Do you know that Donald J. Trump has hundreds of trigger points? And did I say hundreds? I meant thousands! He’s got more trigger points than a thousand gun factories. But really where was this information during the impeachment trial or the second impeachment trial? We need this stuff to come out in the open! As a wise man once said, this aggression will not stand, man!

In the final days of Donald Trump’s administration, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered some very unusual instructions to senior military officials. If they received orders to launch an attack, up to and including the use of nuclear weapons, they were to “do the process” of consulting with him first. The general asked all of the officers to verbally signal their assent, which he reportedly considered “an oath.”

That’s according to a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Milley had become so alarmed at Trump’s addled behavior, the authors say, that he felt the added safeguards were necessary to forestall a calamity. In issuing the orders, he knew full well that he was “pulling a Schlesinger,” or echoing the actions of Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger, who took similar measures to constrain an increasingly erratic Richard Nixon in 1974.

Both incidents also highlight a longstanding but largely unresolved danger: the lack of guardrails to prevent a reckless or unstable president from starting a nuclear war.

Following the latest revelations, Republicans have accused Milley of everything from insubordination to treason. But whether he acted improperly is debatable. It’s unclear if Milley actually sought to usurp civilian control of the military, as some critics charge, or merely urged officers to keep him informed if they received any outlandish orders — a not unreasonable request at a time when the president appeared unhinged and much of the Pentagon’s civilian leadership consisted of acting officials who’d only spent weeks on the job.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-09-20/milley-trump-controversy-shows-need-for-nuclear-guardrails

Treason. Fuck you. Treason. Come on, I think preventing Donny from starting World War III would be doing whatever it takes to stop that from happening! But you know what? Let the conservatives be mad – they’re not entitled to power! They’re not really entitled to anything. But like I said – get this shit in writing. Trump had way too much power and there needs to be a playbook in place the next time a president goes this batshit crazy. Do it now!!! Tomorrow may be too late!

Republican lawmakers have called for an investigation — or the resignation — of Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following revelations in Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s new book, “Peril.” The authors describe Milley's increasing alarm over then-President Donald Trump’s mental stability. According to the book, Milley believed Trump might precipitate a nuclear conflict to remain in office after the 2020 election, concern that resulted in actions that are perhaps unparalleled.

It is important, first of all, to remember that Woodward and Costa’s methods make it impossible to judge the accuracy of these alleged conversations. But the bombshell reporting clearly raises serious questions. Did Milley exceed his responsibilities as the country’s leading military officer, undermine the powers of the president and set a dangerous precedent for American civil-military relations? What does this also tell us about crisis management and our nuclear weapons safeguards?

Milley made two phone calls in the waning months of the Trump administration to Gen. Li Zuocheng, the commanding general of the Chinese military. The first occurred Oct. 30, four days before the election. Woodward and Costa relate that Milley sought to reassure his counterpart in Beijing that the U.S. would not launch a surprise nuclear attack. Milley is reported to have told Li that he would contact him if an attack by the U.S. was imminent. Milley reached out a second time in the aftermath of the assault on the U.S. Capitol to reassure the Chinese that the U.S. government remained stable. Milley reportedly told Li that “democracy can be sloppy sometimes.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/general-milley-s-china-debacle-how-trump-revealed-cracks-antiquated-ncna1279665

Stable? Ha! Having Trump in charge is no different than having the Joker or the Riddler in charge and things are about to go off! But that said, we came dangerously close to a war with China, North Korea, or both. We came dangerously close to teetering over the edge. There was a reason the Doomsday Clock moved closer to midnight (see: Top 10 #4-4 ). And if there hadn’t been cooler heads, we might have seen the clock strike midnight.

A retired Navy admiral who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking military officer in the US, under former President Barack Obama says that a wave of conservative anger surrounding Gen Mark Milley, the current chairman, is unwarranted.

Michael Mullen told ABC’s This Week in an interview on Sunday that the phone calls with a top Chinese general in the final days of former President Donald Trump’s time in the White House to reassure him about the stability of both the US government and US-China relations was “routine” and an encouraging sign of dialogue between the two superpowers.

“Having communications with counterparts around the world is routine, and even having them now with China,” he told ABC’s Martha Raddatz.

He added that Mr Milley’s call was “listened to by other people in the inter-agency process”, meaning that it was not done without the knowledge of the US intelligence and military community.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/milley-china-call-trump-joint-chiefs-b1922926.html

[font size="8"]Nicki Minaj’s Ball Gate
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We need some music for this one!

Who’s got big balls? We’ve got big balls! We’ve got the biggest balls of them all! OK who had Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s swollen balls on their anti-vaxxer bingo card? I know that I did not! Seriously, you could not have made up a crazier story. Of course I’m talking about rapper Nicki Minaj who’s no longer just a rapper, but every batshit crazy theory you’ve ever heard on Facebook rolled into one. And strap in because we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of this crazy story. Phrasing! And yes, there will be plenty of opportunities for phrasing in this entry. But where do we begin? Well we got to begin at the beginning when Nicki tweeted this out about her cousin experiencing what was thought to be a bizarre side effect of the vaccine. But it wasn’t. And trust me when I say we are going to have some fun with this entry. Get ready because here’s how it started!

Nicki Minaj faced public backlash after tweeting that a friend of her cousin developed swollen testicles and impotence after getting vaccinated against Covid-19.

In a series of tweets Monday, the 10-time Grammy-nominated rap artist told fans she would only get immunized once she did enough research and recommended that they wear masks and get the shots if they’re required to for work. Minaj skipped Monday’s Met Gala, which enforced a vaccine mandate, saying she was generally avoiding public events because she has a new baby at home.

Minaj said she was shooting a video and preparing for the Video Music Awards, which aired Sunday, when she caught Covid earlier this year and had to quarantine away from her infant son for a week.

Most people, however, seized on her comments about her cousin’s friend, which many people criticized as spreading false information.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/14/rap-artist-nicki-minaj-faces-backlash-after-tweeting-inaccurate-information-about-covid-vaccines.html

Ok... first off... why? Honestly if you're going to Nicki Minaj for medical advice, you probably should be kicked in that area as hard as possible until they are the size that Nicki Minaj described. That’s how it started and it’s absolutely every bit as ridiculous as it sounds. It’s so off the wall batshit insane that it actually got Nicki Minaj kicked off Twitter multiple times. And if that’s not insane enough – she doubled down! No! You don’t double down when you’ve already said something so stupid and bizarre that it’s requiring a hundred fact checkers to discredit it! But yeah here’s the thing – maybe don’t go to Nicki Minaj for medical advice!

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, debunked a claim made by rapper Nicki Minaj that the Covid-19 vaccine can make men impotent.

Fauci dismissed the claim as false when asked about it during an interview Tuesday on CNN.

"There’s no evidence that it happens, nor is there any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen," he said. "So the answer to your question is no.”

Fauci went on to talk about the dangers of vaccine misinformation.

"There's a lot of misinformation, mostly on social media, and the only way we know to counter mis and disinformation is to provide a lot of correct information," he said. "And to essentially debunk these kinds of claims, which may be innocent on her part. I'm not blaming her for anything but she should be thinking twice about propagating information that really has no basis."
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nicki-minaj-said-covid-vaccine-could-make-you-impotent-fauci-n1279244

Seriously, Nicki stop talking please! Now here’s where it gets weird and you knew it was going to. This tweet was so insane that it actually prompted the public health minister from Trinidad and Tobago to debunk this bullshit. This is where we are at in 2021. Government officials are wasting their time trying to debunk bullshit said on Twitter because they are afraid of what could happen when misinformation gets out in the open. Yeah. Shut up.

Rapper Nicki Minaj has been criticised by Trinidad and Tobago's health minister over a tweet in which she said her cousin's friend in the country had been made impotent by a Covid vaccine.

Terrence Dyalsingh said on Wednesday that the "false" post had wasted his department's time.

The tweet also claimed the friend had swollen testicles.

It has caused backlash from health experts around the world who are concerned about vaccine disinformation.

Minaj made the comments on Monday to her 22 million followers.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Mr Deyalsingh said his department hasn't seen a single recorded incident of testicles becoming swollen because of the vaccine in Trinidad and Tobago or "anywhere else in the world".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-58581292

But yeah now thanks to this, Nicki Minaj is now in the MAGA camp. But I couldn’t love this clip more of Tucker Carlson asking Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend to contact her. Here’s the thing Tucker – this whole thing was made up! But that said, how about this – you can go over to Gab or GETTR or Parler or whatever bullshit app the right is touting these days and flaunt your insane theories there. Just don’t waste the time of the experts who are trying to do their job, OK?

Stanford Health Care’s Infectious Disease expert Dr. Anne Liu has been in the trenches, battling the COVID-19 pandemic since its earliest days. She’s seen patients die and has grown weary of celebrities like rapper Nicki Minaj spreading unsubstantiated rumors about the dangers of vaccinations.

Minaj made headlines last week when she noted in a tweet to her more than 22.6 million followers that the Met Gala required attendees to be vaccinated, and that she wouldn’t get the shot until “I feel I’ve done enough research.”

She later issued a tweet sharing an unverified story about a cousin’s friend in Trinidad. Minaj asserted the unidentified individual “became impotent” and “his testicles became swollen” after receiving the shot.

“This is a tough topic,” Liu told CBSN Bay Area. “I have patients who have taken their time to get vaccinated and some of them eventually come around and some of them have died of COVID. When our unvaccinated patients died of COVID despite our best efforts to get them vaccinated, or to treat them even after they have gotten the infection, it’s really horrible.”
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/09/20/covid-nicki-minja-stanford-infectious-disease-expert-dr-anne-liu-vaccination-tweets/

[font size="8"]Capitol Rioters
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Woohoo! Congratulations Roger Stone! You are our big winner! What do you get you might ask? Well you get a one way ticket to Sing Sing! Enjoy the fabulous food and luxurious accommodations of your prison cell! Maybe you’ll even get lucky and land in solitary confinement! You know here’s the thing – if you participated in the January 6th Capitol Riot – AT ALL – you might want to lay low for a while. Find a basement bunker, destroy your cell phones, burn all of your important papers. Because you’re probably wanted for attempting to overthrow the government. Even if you were visiting DC for a girls / guys trip, disavow all knowledge of it. You know what you shouldn’t do? Go on a public radio show! That’s exactly what our favorite conspiracy theorist Roger Stone did. And you know that if he’s involved, some serious shit is about to hit the fan.

Listeners of the St. Louis talk radio show "Tomorrow's News Today" were treated Wednesday to live audio of Roger Stone being served with a lawsuit.
Stone was just laying out why he thought that former President Donald Trump should run again in 2024 when he interrupted his own train of thought to announce what was waiting for him at his front door.
"Hold on a second, I have a process server at my front door about to serve me in the latest lawsuit. I'm going to take this live on your radio show," Stone told the show's hosts.

Stone thanked the server as he accepted the lawsuit, but said, "It's still a fraud, doesn't matter" when the server clarified what court the lawsuit had been filed in.

"Alright, I've just been served in the January 6 lawsuit. Live right here on your radio show," he told his hosts. "This is a big, big stack of papers which is good, because we're out of toilet paper today."

"Like I said, this is lawfare. It's harassment," he added.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/16/politics/roger-stone-lawsuit-served-radio-appearance/index.html

Ha ha! Yeah clean that up. Hey Roger, it’s not harassment you stupid dumbass. You do know how the whole “being served” thing works, right? Oh man this is too damn good. And come on, when the Former Guy is planning a run for 2024 (god help us!!!) and this guy is your campaign advisor, you might want to consider finding a new campaign advisor. Look, people are tired of batshit crazy. I know I am. It’s time to get back to some sort of normalcy.

On Tuesday night, notorious GOP operative Roger Stone was booted from former Donald Trump spokesman Jason Miller's right-wing social media platform, "Gettr," which caused Stone to claim the ban amounted to "censorship."

In a statement to Salon on Wednesday morning, however, Miller blamed the suspension on a series of fake Stone accounts bouncing around on the site — which Salon previously reported is also home to Sonic the Hedgehog "furry porn" and ISIS propaganda.

"Multiple fake Roger Stone accounts were suspended following user complaints, but his real Gettr account was inadvertently suspended too," Miller told Salon via email. "His correct account is currently active, and the imposter accounts have all been removed."

Yet, the damage had already largely been done. Stone, an outspoken critic of both Miller and Steve Bannon, claimed that the ban was carried out because of his criticism of the duo.
https://www.salon.com/2021/08/25/jason-millers-right-wing-gettr-site-backtracks-on-roger-stone-ban-after-accused-of-censorship/

That’s a different kind of being served. That is being F’d in the A. And don’t worry – next week we will devote more time to this but I love that the “Justice For January 6th” rally was a complete bomb! I mean come on, it bombed worse than I do on open mike night. Yeah I am not good at improv, I will admit it. I am good at finding out shit about the January 6th criminals though! And I love that fewer people showed up to it than any other event that guy has held. Schadenfreude!

The Justice for J6 rally, an event designed to make martyrs out of the violent insurrectionists that stormed the US Capitol on January 6th, was a fantastic failure as far as attendance goes. For all the weeks of media coverage leading into Saturday’s demonstration, fewer than 100 people bothered to show up for it. That’s even less than the estimated 700 people local and federal officials had warned might attend — and far less than the tens of thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump who gathered on the Capitol on that fateful day in January.

Rally organizers blamed the presence of so much law enforcement for the poor attendance. “Shame on the people and the system who put fear in the hearts of American citizens not to come out,” Cara Castronuova, a founder of Citizens Against Political Persecution and apparent celebrity fitness professional, told the crowd. It’s a convenient excuse — but the larger blame for stoking fear arguably falls on many of the major players behind the first rally distancing themselves from last weekend’s dud of a demonstration.

Although intelligence officials reportedly warned in early September that the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were planning to attend the rally, both groups ultimately distanced themselves from the event. Shortly before entering jail, Enrique Tarrio, chairman of the Proud Boys, said in an interview, “The Proud Boys will not be there.” Separately, a Proud Boys social media channel was noted for posting: “Sounds like bait” about the event with the added warning: “We aren’t going and you shouldn’t either.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/justice-j6-trump-rally-failure-b1923563.html

Of course it is! I mean who that is on the FBI’s most wanted list wouldn’t show up with that crowd? You know who did show up with that crowd though? Batman. I swear to the fucking highest of high gods that I am not making that up. They wonder why we don’t take them seriously? Well they show up to rallies dressed up like Batman and the Ninja Turtles. Can we show that?

https://twitter.com/ZTPetrizzo/status/1439278807282749440

And they love this shit. I guess that’s what you get for having a party founded by people who were raised on TV.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Saturday to call for the release of Capitol riot defendants in a rally, where the modest attendance was vastly outnumbered by police and media.

The “Justice for J6” rally was organized by Matt Braynard, a former staffer for the Trump Campaign who has since founded the right-wing political group “Look Ahead America.”

Braynard and other speakers at the rally – who included former Golden Glove boxer-turned-right-wing-activist Cara Castronuova, the father of a Capitol riot defendant and two Republican congressional candidates – attempted to draw a delicate line between calling for the release of Capitol riot defendants. They referred to the defendants repeatedly as “political prisoners" while still condemning the violence on Jan. 6.

Braynard and other speakers have claimed repeatedly, and falsely, that there are “hundreds” of Jan. 6 defendants currently being held without bond in the case. In reality, of the more than 600 defendants now charged in the case, only about 70 are currently in custody. The vast majority have been granted pretrial detention – many with no more restrictions than a weekly check-in and an order to stay away from Washington, D.C.
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/national/capitol-riots/hundreds-attend-revisionist-justice-for-j6-rally-at-us-capitol-while-trump-distances-himself-from-event-matt-braynard-capitol-riot-insurrection/65-d7de3a01-840a-4a6a-85ac-4a0d2aaf6a64

[font size="8"]Mike Lindell
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Sigh…………… you can’t keep a good election stealer down these days. I’m talking of course about our old buddy Mike Lindell who doesn’t know when to quit. While most of the attention has been paid to the batshit crazy Arizona audit (and don’t worry we’ll cover that next week), very little has been paid to Pillow Douche and the damage that he’s been causing. This guy is insane. He won’t overturn the 2020 election no matter how hard he tries. But this is dangerously treading into “beating a dead horse” territory. And what’s really scary is no matter how many times you tell them they are wrong they will always hit you back with some bullshit conspiracy theory. Or it’s someone else’s fault. Or the “mainstream media” was wrong about this. Well you know what? You’re the one who’s wrong about this, Mikey! So you know what? You lost! Get over it!

MyPillow founder and Donald Trump adviser Mike Lindell plans to conduct “tests” on Alabama’s voter rolls after purchasing the list, said Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, who along with Gov. Kay Ivey met with Lindell on Friday.

Lindell, the founder and CEO of MyPillow who is Trump’s main attack dog in the former president’s battle contending the 2020 presidential election was stolen, is going to comb through the list of Alabama voters to determine whether the state has any ineligible people on it, including deceased residents.

Merrill said he doesn’t expect Lindell to find evidence that Alabama’s voter list, which is available for purchase by anyone, is tainted.

“We know we don’t put people on the voter rolls unless they’re qualified to be on the voter rolls,” the secretary of state told AL.com.
https://www.al.com/politics/2021/09/mypillows-mike-lindell-to-run-tests-on-alabama-voter-list-after-meeting-merrill-ivey.html

He does know that Trump won Alabama by like a colossal margin, right? Like it wasn’t even close! So why is he going after states that Trump won? Is this part of some new even more batshit theory that I’m totally unaware of? And 100,000 votes? Come on, are there even 100,000 people in Alabama? Oh come on, I kid, I kid! But at least the secretary of state in Alabama is putting the kibosh on Mike Lindell’s crazy theories.

Conspiracy theorist "The MyPillow Guy" Mike Lindell has made unsubstantiated claims of having data that proves 100,000 presidential election votes were changed in Alabama, and that “every single county was affected.”

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said that’s not possible.

In his tour of states claiming presidential election interference, Lindell visited Montgomery last week to "run tests," later touting the high integrity of Alabama's elections, even posing for photos with Merrill.

"Even though Mr. Lindell indicated that Alabama has the best elections system he has seen and that our state has the safest election procedures of all of the 50 states, he still has some questions he would like to have answered. We will be looking forward to his next visit in our state." Merrill said in a release about the visit.

In response to Lindell's claims, Merrill says “We didn’t have any vote changes. Zero. It’s not possible to have any vote changed,” according to AL.com.
https://mynbc15.com/news/local/conspiracy-theorist-lindell-claims-100000-alabama-votes-changed-merrill-says-no-way

That is a good question – WTF! But apparently anything goes in Alabama because even election officials are going along with Mr. Lindell’s latest attempt at election theft. It’s certifiably insane. Just once someone needs to tell this creepy weirdo “no”. I mean who buys his shit? Also… who buys his shit? I mean no I’m asking does anyone actually own a My Pillow? But in fact in regards to Alabama, they’re not just buying his bullshit, they’re rolling out the red carpet!

The CEO of MyPillow was treated like a visiting dignitary in Alabama Friday, meeting with the state’s governor and secretary of state during the latest stop on his futile months-long effort to demonstrate hijinks in the 2020 election.

MyPillow honcho Mike Lindell “was very impressed by our efforts and said that Alabama had the best election system and the safest procedures he had seen in America!” the state’s top elections official, Secretary of State John Merrill, wrote on Facebook after the meeting, attaching pictures showing Lindell and his team presenting a graph on a laptop. “We look forward to our next meeting!”

The pillow magnate later claimed without any basis that despite Alabama’s best efforts, 100,000 votes had been “flipped” in the state during the 2020 election. Lindell, who has spent months and millions of dollars pushing false claims of voter fraud in the last election, also purchased a copy of Alabama’s voter rolls and plans to perform “tests” on the data, Al.com reported.

Photos from the meeting show that Lindell was accompanied by Douglas Frank, the former math and science department chair at a Cincinnati high school whose viral, smoke–and–mirrors claims about the 2020 election have made him a minor celebrity in the election truther world.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/top-alabama-officials-roll-out-red-carpet-for-mypillow-guys-voter-fraud-road-show

And as if this couldn’t get any more cringeworthy… consider this. Remember when they kept saying that Former Guy was going to be reinstated in April? And then they said it was going to be August? Then it was going to be 9/11? Well now the “great reinstatement” has been moved to… drum roll… Thanksgiving! That’s right – Thanksgiving! I’ll be sure to stock up on extra turkey legs and pumpkin spice beer for this one! And when it doesn’t happen, they’ll blame someone else and change the date! Just like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown!

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has revised his prediction for when he says the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments that the 2020 presidential election should be overturned.

Lindell has previously stated that the Supreme Court would reinstate Donald Trump as president by the end of August. But when that didn't happen, Lindell began pushing his predictions back until September or October.

On Tuesday, Lindell advised his fans that they would have to wait until the end of November for Trump's reinstatement.

"This is the big announcement, everyone," Lindell told Real America's Voice host Steve Bannon. "I made a promise to this country that with all the evidence I have that we would get it to the Supreme Court and I predicted they would vote 9-0 to look at the evidence."
https://www.rawstory.com/mike-lindell-thanksgiving/

[font size="8"]We’re All Gonna Die
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Hey everyone guess what? We’re all gonna die! Wooooooooooooooooo! Wooooooo! Wooooooo. Woo. Woo. Let me ask everyone something – is it just me or is it getting fucking hot in here? To quote Lewis Black, I’ve only had one thought this entire summer – fuck it’s hot! Or it’s hot as fuck! Here’s the deal – we’ve been living in denial for 20 years and that’s largely thanks to Fox News. They are the foremost purveyor of all things that are bad. So what does 20 straight, solid years of climate change denial get us in this day and age? Well it’s getting us a planet that’s getting increasingly hotter every single day. And when it gets so hot that your ice cream or iced drink literally melts when you go outside, don’t come complaining to us! Instead we’ll say “Told you so!” followed by a very childish “neener neener”. OK I’m rambling. Here’s the latest.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday that “unless we collectively change course, there is a high risk of failure” at the much-anticipated U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, scheduled in early November.

Speaking to reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York City after a closed-door meeting of national leaders to discuss climate policy, Guterres noted that the pledges of individual nations remain far less ambitious than what is needed to meet the goals laid out in the last major climate negotiations, in Paris in 2015.

“Based on the present commitments of member states, the world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7 degrees [Celsius] of heating, instead of 1.5 we all agreed should be the limit,” Guterres said. “To limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, we need a 45 percent cut in emissions by 2030 so we can reach carbon neutrality by midcentury. Instead, the commitments made until now by countries imply an increase of 16 percent in greenhouse gas emissions — not a decrease of 45 percent — an increase of 16 percent in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 compared to 2010 levels.”

Coming out of Paris, the hope was that countries would meet or exceed their pledges and then go to the next conference with even bolder plans. But that hasn’t happened, so the secretary-general is trying to encourage nations to commit to steeper emissions cuts and more generous financing to help developing countries transition to clean energy.
https://news.yahoo.com/high-risk-of-failure-at-critical-glasgow-climate-change-conference-un-secretary-general-warns-183904049.html

No we’re not all gonna die… at least not yet. Of course when I did this very segment on COVID last year who knew we were actually all gonna die from that? So prove me wrong! Prove me wrong! But that said if we don’t act on climate change now – a whole shit ton of us are gonna die, and there’s no vaccine that can prevent that! Well at least in Europe they’re taking this far more seriously than what our previous president did, and our current one has a long way to go to reverse that guy’s fuck ups!

Intense concern about climate change is increasing among people in several major economies, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center that found that 72 percent of those polled were worried climate change will harm them personally at some point in their lifetime.

The survey included more than 16,000 people across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region and represented people's views of the threat of climate change, their willingness to make personal sacrifices to address it and their perceptions of international efforts to curb global warming.

The poll was conducted in the spring but its release comes after a series of extreme weather events — ranging from devastating floods in Germany, China and the United States to sweltering heat waves across the Northern Hemisphere — plagued multiple continents in recent months.

Most countries saw a sharp increase in those who said they are “very concerned” that climate change will affect them personally in their lifetime.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/europeans-are-taking-climate-change-seriously-us-not-much-rcna1990

Yeah probably! But there is some good news – I don’t want you to think that this segment is all doom and gloom but that’s kind of the point of this segment. At least climate change stupidity, unlike actual stupidity, can be reversed! The thing is the previous administration sowed distrust and discord but that was the point. And while it may take a long time to heal those wounds, it won’t take forever to reverse the stupidity. At least that’s what John Kerry says!

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday called out President Donald Trump’s lack of climate action during his term in the White House. Kerry also warned that damage being caused by climate change is in some cases irreversible.

“I refuse to accept the idea that the sheer idiocy and lack of scientific rationale and legitimate economic rationale or even political rationale for Donald Trump pulling out — I refuse to believe that creates something that’s irreparable for people of good faith in good conscience who want to do what’s right,” Kerry said, speaking at an event during Climate Week NYC.

Trump removed the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, an action that President Joe Biden reversed earlier this year. Kerry said the U.S. will only be able to regain the world’s trust through action.

“My goal is not specifically to restore trust. That’s a byproduct of what we’re doing,” Kerry said. “It gets restored by acting, it gets restored by being out there doing the things that are necessary to address the issue, the fundamentals of the issue.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/21/john-kerry-us-can-recover-from-trumps-sheer-idiocy-on-climate-change.html

Yeah we might all actually die. Pack your shit folks! But you know here’s the thing – if we want to get real change on climate change, we need to start at the top. Part of the problem and one of the biggest problems early on is the media. Especially some news sources **COUGH** Fox News **COUGH** have not exactly been truthful when it comes to climate change reporting. At least the youth are getting serious about it, but those who get their news from TV might want to reconsider.

The climate emergency is exploding in various parts of the world this week, but climate silence inexcusably continues to rein in much of the United States media.

Hurricane Ida has left more than a million people in Louisiana without running water, electricity or air conditioning amid a heat index topping 100F. The Caldor fire destroyed hundreds of houses and forced mass evacuations around Lake Tahoe in California. Abroad, vast swaths of Siberia were ablaze while drought-parched Madagascar suffered what a United Nations official called the first famine caused entirely by climate change.

Painstaking scientific research has established that the climate crisis escalates these kinds of extreme weather. In other words, people can now watch the emergency unfold in real time on their TV and cellphone screens.

The problem is that most viewers won’t make that connection, because most stories don’t contain the words “climate change”. Six of the biggest commercial TV networks in the US – ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC and MSNBC – ran 774 stories about Ida from 27 to 30 August, an analysis by the watchdog group Media Matters found. Only 34 of those stories, barely 4%, mentioned climate change.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/02/us-media-hurricane-ida-climate-change

My fair congregation! Please be seated! You know my fair congregation… we live in times of great suffering. And people like our next subject certainly aren’t helping things. I am of course talking about our old buddy Sean Feucht. Last time we checked in on him was about a year ago (see: Top 10 #9-17 and he was holding these events called “Let Us Worship” that were doing nothing but bad things to every city he goes to. So one year later? Well of course he’s back to his old tricks! Here’s the thing guys, no one ever said you couldn’t worship during this nightmare world in which we live. No! you only assumed we did, and you went apeshit because of it! We only said you couldn’t gather in mass groups. But the good LAWRD JAYSUS wants you to worship. Yeah that’s not of course in the eyes of Sean Feucht. You know the old saying – judge not lest ye be judged.

Sean Feucht, a missionary, musician, and failed congressional candidate who met with former President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, is bringing his COVID-be-damned tour of worship rallies to the nation’s capital this weekend, along with an organizing event sponsored by Hold the Line, a “political activist movement” that Feucht launched after voters in his northern California congressional district rejected his congressional bid last year.

This weekend’s events include a Hold the Line event at the Trump International Hotel during the day on Saturday, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and a “Day of Prayer for America” on the National Mall on Saturday evening. Sunday features prayer gatherings at the Supreme Court, White House, and Lincoln Memorial capped off by a worship gathering on the National Mall Sunday evening.

Scheduled speakers for Saturday’s Hold the Line gathering include California pastor-politician Rob McCoy, an ally of Christian nationalist political operative David Lane; religious-right podcaster and author David Harris, Jr.; pastor-podcaster Landon Schott; pastor and End Times author Phil Hotsenpiller; and Timmy Teepell, who is scheduled to make a presentation about polling and the 2022 elections.

Feucht has kept up an ambitious touring schedule of public “worship protest” events under the banner of “Let Us Worship”—a rebuke to pandemic-related restrictions on public gatherings—and he has mocked public health officials’ concerns about his large events during the COVID-19 pandemic by selling T-shirts that say, “Jesus Christ Super-Spreader.” His tour included an Aug. 28 stop at Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, home of the ever-shouting hard-right pastor Greg Locke.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/sean-feuchts-super-spreader-road-show-returns-to-washington-d-c/

But now really Christians, you disappoint me. Not so much that you would actually attend this horrid event but that you would throw your support behind the unholy, ungodly Dark One! I of course speak of an EVIL man so terrible that his name dare not be spoken in my church! Really why would you support anything he does? He only stands for darkness and evil! Even Jesus spoke of such a man when he said that the “dark one shall pose as a creature of light”!

Declaring that “turning to God” is “the ultimate answer to evil,” former President Donald Trump joined missionary and political activist Sean Feucht in calling the nation to a period of 21 days of prayer on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 during a prayer event at the National Mall on Saturday.

“Turning to God, the ultimate answer to evil that we see here today as thousands of Americans gather on the mall to pray for our beloved nation and to pray for one another,” Trump said in a video message during the event known as "Let Us Worship.”

"I want to thank ‘Let Us Worship’ for calling Americans to 21 days of prayer in the coming weeks. America is a nation strengthened and sustained by God and the prayers of all His children. Your faith is a force that our enemies can never, ever extinguish," he said. "Your love of God, family, and country is more powerful than any adversaries' hatred, or malice, or scorn. So as we remember those Americans we lost two decades ago, we return again and again to the same simple prayer that was heard echoing all across our land in the days after the Sept. 11th attacks. God bless our first responders. God bless our service members. God bless the memory of all who died on 9/11 and God bless America."

Trump called 9/11 “a terrible day” as he honored the memory of the nearly 3,000 people killed during the attacks and praised especially the resilience of the “incredible city” of New York.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/trump-joins-missionary-sean-feucht-in-call-for-21-days-of-prayer.html

Only these people don’t feel anything about anything. They are that terrible. Because once again, they align themselves with the master of darkness. And come on, he doesn’t care about New York! He bragged the day after 9/11 that he had the tallest building in New York. Like seriously how stupid can you get? But that said, Feucht is clearly a member of the cult that is trying to take over the United States of America. And these people are dark and disturbed!

Meanwhile, the “Covid Vaccine Exposed” website present in Treinen’s bio is believed to be run by Project Veritas under James O’Keefe. The disgraced “documentary” body was known to give out massive push, misleading edited clips that focus on politicians on the other side of the fence. In their history, O’Keefe and Project Veritas said they will release “POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST WHISTLEBLOWER SERIES”. Treninen’s shared website link collects interested internet users to register in order to be included in the Project Veritas’s email distribution. The said promise is set to go out by Monday evening.

In addition, the Dodgers pitcher has re-posted a contentious Redding missionary, Sean Feucht, who has been vocal against anti-virus measures and vaccines.

A popular worship musician, Feucht has defied appeals of local officials and organizers’ appeals and pushed through huge gatherings since the pandemic. Among which is an event called “Let Us Worship” in Portland when he took to Facebook his gratitude for the security team, saying: “If you mess with them or our 1st amendment right to worship God, you’ll meet Jesus one way or another.” While not completely identified, Feucht’s security team consists of individuals with former police or military background and are now serving as Christian nationalists and neo-fascists, SFGATE reported.

Treinen’s home ballpark, the Dodger Stadium, has once served as a COVID-19 vaccination location. Treinen has been vaccinated, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, adding that the team’s vaccination rate was previously around 85 percent.
https://sftimes.com/blake-treinen-ex-as-and-now-dodgers-pitcher-allegedly-uses-socmed-for-covid-19-election-conspiracies/

You know you did something bad when these guys are facepalming! But really steer very clear of Pastor Feucht. Because he is certainly a very dark and wicked soul who is trying to bring down humanity to his level and the level of the unholy Dark One! For he is the most foul of all creatures! That said, these are the people who think that the church should be more politically active. Really? Have you actually read the Constitution? If anything it’s the exact opposite!

To commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Redding-based Christian singer, songwriter and worship leader Sean Feucht hosted a two-day “Let Us Worship” event at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The event took place on September 11 and 12 and attracted hundreds of attendees. The first night’s show lasted nearly three hours, and the second night’s lasted nearly four hours. Hold the Line, a religious and political activist organization launched by Feucht in 2020 after his unsuccessful run for Congress in California’s 3rd District, sponsored the event.

As stated on the organization’s website, Hold the Line’s goal is to “engage with the church and with millennials in a way that charges them to become more politically active.”

The first night of the two-day “Let Us Worship” event consisted of a series of guest speakers and music, while the second night consisted mostly of music.

In addition to the shows on both nights, Feucht and the team of musicians, pastors, and activists joining him in the nation’s capital also lead a series of unplugged concerts and informal prayer sessions in front of the White House, the Supreme Court Building, the Lincoln Memorial, and other locations on September 12.
https://anewscafe.com/2021/09/20/redding/sean-feucht-far-right-christians-descend-on-washington-d-c-for-september-11th-let-us-worship-event/

Yes so if this man and his events come to your city, be afraid! Because they do not represent our good LAWRD JAYSUS! They represent all that is evil! They represent the unholy Dark One! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Beating A Dead Horse: Do they know what tyranny is?
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Folks, let me give you a lesson in politics. And you know what? Let’s start by defining what a tyrannical government really is. A tyrant is a “cruel and oppressive ruler”. If you think what Joe Biden is doing in regards to the virus is tyranny, then why don’t you go live in a country like Myanmar or Afghanistan or Belarus or Bosnia – Herzegovina. Now that’s tyranny. Or maybe we go throw you in the middle of Somalia and see how long you last. I thought so. So what I’m getting at – Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine recently compared mask mandates to tyranny. But he’s not the only douchebag doing this. Yes, he’s a douchebag for saying that mask mandates are tyrannical. You know what? They suck, but anything is better than the alternative! And you know what at some point we won’t have to wear these anymore but until then, shut up.

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine went on an anti-mask tirade and called on his fans to band together against “tyranny” during the metal band’s concert Wednesday in Camden, New Jersey.

“I just wanna tell you how great it is. Look around you, guys. Look to your right, look to your left, and look how wonderful this is. We’re all here together. We’re not in fucking bags. We’re not freaking out, and we’re not yelling at people, ‘Wear your fucking mask,’” Mustaine told the crowd of mandates (via Loudwire). “Listen, it starts with this kind of a sensation that we build right now. We feel together, we feel like strength in numbers. We feel like we are invincible. People will not be able to stop us.”

Mustaine has long aligned with right-wing politics and conspiracy theories, including his belief in the “birther movement” against President Barack Obama as well as his public declaration that the mass shooting in Aurora, California, was staged. Mustaine has also an unabashed fan of fellow conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

“The thing right now that’s going on is tyranny,” Mustaine told his fans Wednesday. “This is called tyranny. Look it up when you get home. And tyranny isn’t only in government. Tyranny right now is in the schools and tyranny is in the medical business. So, you guys look it up. We have the power, especially us metal fans, we have the power to change things.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dave-mustaine-rants-against-mask-tyranny-megadeth-concert-1227842/

Yes… ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… shut up! Yeah really a guy who’s that far off the deep end, do you really want to be hanging out with someone this reckless and stupid? Well if that’s not enough, behind door B, there is Skillet’s John Cooper. Who has been vocal about vaccine mandates and thinks that mask mandates are a step towards totalitarianism. Yes, it’s a step towards controlling your thoughts. They won’t tell you but its’ gonna happen. These people…

John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, has railed against President Joe Biden's latest vaccination push, calling it "tyrannical" and "totalitarian."

Earlier in the month, Biden announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements mandating that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. An additional 17 million people who are in federally funded healthcare facilities will also have to be fully vaccinated.

On Monday (September 20), the Memphis, Tennessee-born Cooper, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, addressed Biden's mandate in the latest episode of his "Cooper Stuff" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "All that's going on here is an insane power grab. This is just an attack on Western values, on freedom, on the things that built the West — that's all that's going on about this because when you look at the data, when you look at the stuff being said, it is such absolute nonsense, it is such absolute lies, it is such bullying tactics and tyranny and totalitarianism that you can't help but to ask questions. Even if you believe that vaccines are good, you have to look at what's going on and say, 'Okay, there's something really nefarious going on.' That's all that this is."

Referencing Biden's comment during his September 9 speech that his patience with the tens of millions of Americans who are not yet vaccinated "is wearing thin," Cooper said: "Your president is losing his patience with you. You're the problem. You're probably a bigot and you're probably a phobe of some sort and you're the problem and you hate people. Just ask the woke Christians. You won't be able to tell what they say because their mouths are full of woke cookies.
https://blabbermouth.net/news/unvaccinated-skillet-frontman-john-cooper-rails-against-tyrannical-and-totalitarian-vaccine-mandates/

Yes please shut up! And you know what? It’s not tyranny! It’s not totalitarian. It’s science. And you know what? This argument isn’t really anything new. In fact it’s the same recycled argument from 40 years ago about whether or not people should wear seatbelts. And really it’s pretty much a common thing now isn’t it? you get in the car, you put on a seatbelt, that’s it. Or is it tyranny??? No it isn’t, it’s just a safety measure meant to keep you from dying!

As we see viral videos of people ranting about mask mandates being tyrannical government overreach, the Daily Show with Trevor Noah reminds us that people said the same thing about seatbelt mandates back in the day.

A video of news footage from 1986 shows several people complaining about how requiring seatbelts was a violation of their freedom and how they weren't going to comply. It's really something to see now. Watch:

There was intense resistance to seatbelt laws in the 1980s, which in hindsight seems quite silly. When used properly, seatbelts reduce motor vehicle fatalities by half, according to the CDC. People who are unbuckled are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a car during a crash. Most of us buckle up without even thinking about it now, which saves both lives and healthcare resources, but it took a mandate to get us here.

Now we see the same kinds of complaints with COVID-related mandates, despite COVID killing more than ten times as many people in one year as an average year of car accidents do. If the government could mandate seatbelt usage to save lives and healthcare resources, surely it can mandate masks in the midst of a global pandemic spread almost entirely by people's mouth emisssions.
https://www.upworthy.com/80s-footage-seatbelt-complaints-funny

You tell ‘em! But what makes this particularly infuriating is that even members of the upper levels of government are buying this bullshit! It’s not just your favorite right wing band that’s spouting this nonsense. Just look at the endless amount of shit that Mississippi’s Tate Reeves got when he merely suggested the same things that Dave Mustaine and John Cooper are suggesting. Yeah its’ exactly what we thought too! Please for the love of god shut up!

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday that Democratic President Joe Biden’s new federal vaccine requirements are “clearly unconstitutional” and said he believes Biden issued the mandate to try to distract the world from the fallout over his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

“This is the same bait and switch. The president wants us to be talking about anything but Afghanistan,” the Republican governor said at a news conference outside the Governor’s Mansion in Jackson. “He wants us to talk about anything but Afghanistan, and sadly, he’s willing to trample on the rights of 100 million Americans to try to help himself politically. That, to me, is disgusting.”

Biden's sweeping new federal vaccine requirements announced Thursday mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.

Reeves called the requirements tyrannical and said a member of the executive branch does not have the authority to mandate that workers be vaccinated.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/mississippi/articles/2021-09-10/mississippi-governor-calls-biden-vaccine-mandate-tyranny

[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy: Greg Locke
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This week’s This Fucking Guy is noted Trump superfan, far right MAGA cultist and internet preacher Greg Locke. You may have heard of Pastor Locke for his super far right leanings. Or for his hundreds of appearances at far right rallies around the country which also includes a group consisting of noted white supremacist Ann Vandersteel, noted white supremacist and MAGA conspiracy theorist Lin Wood, noted MAGA conspiracy theorist Jim Caveziel, and noted MAGA conspiracy theorist Sydney Powell. Well, you see where I’m going with this. He’s also recently appeared at MAGA rallies starring the king MAGA conspiracy theorist himself, Mike Lindell. Yes, he’s appeared with pillow man and noted traitor Michael Flynn, spouting, well, bullshit. And boy is Pastor Locke full of it! He’s so full of shit that he spent his latest sermon ranting about the Freemasons. Seriously what year is he living in? 2021 or 1912?

Radical right-wing pastor Greg Locke dedicated nearly 10 minutes of the Wednesday night sermon he delivered at his Global Vision Bible Church to ranting about the Freemasons.

After initially declaring that he just wanted to have a nice worship service with his congregation, Locke eventually worked himself up into fury as he screamed that the Freemasons are an “Illuminati, godless, wicked organization” and told those in attendance that if they have a Masonic Bible in their home, they must burn it because “that thing’s got demonic spirits attached to it.”

“If you have any affiliation with a Masonic Lodge whatsoever, you better break that wicked, demonic nonsense out of your life,” Locke said. “I’m telling you the Masonic Lodge is an Illuminati, godless, wicked organization that has nothing to do with Jesus whatsoever.”

“I don’t care what your granddaddy told you,” he continued to rant. “I’m telling you this Satanism. … Some of you need to go home, and I don’t care if your granddaddy’s great-granddaddy’s great-granddaddy’s great-great-great granddaddy was on the ark with Noah, you need to get rid of that Masonic Bible that you got in your living room because that thing’s got demonic spirits attached to it, and you ought to get rid of it and burn it in the name of God.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/greg-locke-rants-that-freemasonry-is-an-illuminati-godless-wicked-organization/

I swear to god there’s a Simpsons clip for everything! And why is their answer always to burn things they don’t understand? Sure, burning things is fun but it’s also terrible for the environment. But Pastor Locke has been on a roll lately. Well you know the reason why Christians are turning to violence for everything these days? Well it’s because of those dang demmycrats! And him saying this is especially ironic considering he appeared on a program called “Voice Of Healing”. I swear you cannot make this shit up!

Radical right-wing pastor Greg Locke appeared on the “Voice of Healing” radio program last week, where he insisted that he must use his Sunday services to preach about politics because the Democrats are trying to impose “tyranny” and take away the rights of Christians. The host of the program, a self-proclaimed “apostle” named Michael Petro, readily agreed, declaring that what the United States needs now is “a violent church.”

Locke and Petro kicked off the conversation by agreeing that the 2020 presidential election was incontrovertibly stolen from former President Donald Trump.

“I’ll go to my grave believing [the election was illegitimate],” Locke said. “Everybody else is starting to realize it, but the left wants to cover it up. … The forensic science proved that the man won by a landslide. Trump won, and Biden’s just as fraudulent today as he ever has been. I tell people that, and people can’t stand that. It’s got us a lot of vitriolic push back, but it’s the facts. God’s never in his word one time even remotely told me to submit to something that I know to be deception. Never. So, people [are] like, ‘Just accept it.’ No, I can’t accept it. Because God doesn’t want me to accept nonsense and lies. We know what happened, and it was nefarious.”

“People have to be put in jail,” replied Petro. “People have to be held to an account now because, to me, it really was a treasonous act.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/apostle-michael-petro-says-god-is-raising-up-a-violent-church-because-democrats-dont-tolerate-christianity/

Yeah that might be an understatement! There’s plenty of claims made by this fucking guy in the last few weeks. He’s said things like Mitch McConnell was controlled by illuminati hand signals. He’s called Joe Biden a “wicked fool” and he’s aligned himself with people attempting to overturn the 2020 election. He is about as batshit crazy as they come. But this might be one of my favorite claims of his – he thinks Tennessee is going to build “quarantine camps” for anti-vaccine people. No joke.

Radical right-wing pastor Greg Locke used the service at his Global Vision Bible Church Sunday to attack Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee for supposedly signing an executive order giving the National Guard the authority to build “quarantine camps” in the state in which to lock up those who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Locke, who has long been an unhinged opponent of efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, recently announced that anyone caught wearing a mask in his church would be ejected. On Sunday, he used his sermon to rail against Gov. Lee for signing an executive order easing some regulations in the state so health officials can better and more quickly deal with rising infection and hospitalization rates.

“Do you see this nonsense our governor signed?” Locke fumed. “[He] will not get reelected because, I’m telling you, he is a coward. I don’t care how much he talks about Jesus; Bill Lee is a coward. You tell him I said so. He’s a noodle. He’s a waffler. Willy nilly nonsense. Opening up Tennessee to this bunch of craziness going on. I ain’t voting for him again. I’m ashamed I voted for him the first time.”

“Did you see the executive order he just signed for COVID-19?” Locke continued. “Anybody that has a medical license can now practice in Tennessee from out of state, which is unconstitutional, super, super dangerous, and that is very unlawful for a lot of reasons. But they’re talking about all these hospitals are overflowing with people. Why don’t you carry camera in one of these hospitals that are supposed to be overflowing with COVID patients and show me how empty they are?”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/greg-locke-claims-tennessee-plans-to-lock-up-unvaccinated-people-in-quarantine-camps/

Yeah probably! Well that said, you know what is the underlying factor in all of this? Pastor Greg Locke is just another bullshit con artists who flings his feces against the wall and hopes that something sticks. So yeah it’s just like that former president he admires so much. You know I always wondered how ordinary people supported the Nazis. Considering this guy has a lot of followers on the internet, it’s kind of starting to make sense. Especially since he’s admitted he’s a blithering idiot!

Greg Locke is a radical right-wing pastor who regularly uses the services at his Global Vision Bible Church outside of Nashville, Tennessee, to rant about politics and spread wild conspiracies. One of Locke’s favorite methods of dismissing anything that contradicts his narrow worldview is to dismiss it as “nonsense.”

One of the unifying themes of Locke’s rants is essentially that anything he doesn’t like is “nonsense,” but the reality seems to be that the things he dismisses as “nonsense” are really just things that he doesn’t understand.

On Monday night, Locke preached at New Life Independent Baptist Church in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina, where he dismissed math, of all things, as “nonsense” after admitting that he simply is not very good at it.

“I’m dumber than a box of rocks in a lot of areas,” Locke said. “I graduated from high school almost two years late with an eighth-grade bonehead math degree. I failed pre-algebra two years in a row. I’ve never had business math, consumer math, I never even made it past pre-algebra, I never had real algebra. I hate math. I get nervous when the Holy Spirit wants me to preach out of the Book of Numbers. I hate math. It’s nonsense.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/nonsense-the-unifying-theme-behind-greg-lockes-conspiracy-theories/

Yeah probably! So a guy who makes shit up and is an admitted idiot, and is nothing more than a con artist who calls himself a pastor. That’s Greg Locke, this week’s:

[font size="8"]People Are Dumb
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Hit it!

Of course you know by now that people are people and people are dumb. You know we repeatedly define what constitutes a People Are Dumb story. Because I feel like after all these years that it needs to be made clear. Let’s define what that is. OK guy robbing a 7-11. Not dumb. A guy robbing a 7-11 and then leaving his drivers’ license in the front seat of his getaway vehicle – that’s dumb. A guy who robs a 7-11 while wearing a pink tutu and a clown mask while stealing a police car and blasting circus music out of the PA – that’s a People Are Dumb story! Even better if he’s going to arrest his girlfriend who destroyed a nearby McDonalds because they ran out of chicken nuggets. I want to start with this story out of Honolulu, Hawaii. Or rather, this story from someone who was traveling to Honolulu. Look people, we’re still in a pandemic. Don’t do anything stupid. And if you do, at least learn to spell correctly. Come on…

A 24-year-old Illinois woman submitted a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to visit Hawaii with a glaring spelling error that led to her arrest: Moderna was spelled “Maderna,” according to court documents.

In order to bypass Hawaii’s 10-day traveler quarantine, she uploaded a vaccination card to the state’s Safe Travels program and arrived in Honolulu Aug. 23 on a Southwest Airlines flight, the documents said.

“Airport screeners found suspicious errors … such as Moderna was spelled wrong and that her home was in Illinois but her shot was taken at Delaware,” Wilson Lau, a special agent with the Hawaii attorney general’s investigation division, wrote in an email to a Delaware official who confirmed there was no vaccination record for the woman under her name and birth date.

The email is included in documents filed in court. She was charged with two misdemeanor counts of violating Hawaii’s emergency rules to control the spread of COVID-19. She had been in custody on $2,000 bail until a judge released her at a hearing Wednesday and scheduled another hearing in three weeks, according the public defender’s office.
https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/24-year-old-tourist-with-fake-maderna-covid-19-vaccine-card-arrested-in-hawaii-court-docs/

Thank you Master Yoda! Next up – this one is so stupid and insane that it actually got Snopes involved. I have been around the internet, let me tell you. And I have seen some batshit crazy stuff. But I’ve personally never accused an entire company of installing a tracking device in an undergarment. Yes, you read that correctly. Yeah I know this story is from the Daily Mail, but this is so insane that we couldn’t help but post it here! I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories:

A woman has been mocked online for thinking an anti-theft device she found in a Victoria's Secret bra was a tracking device and made a video 'warning' others about her 'discovery.'

'They are tracking us. They are human trafficking us. This is how they find your daughters,' the woman explained in her 52-second video.

It's unknown who the woman is, but she's seen in the video clip cutting off a strip inside the bra and holding it up to the camera.

'Look in the bras. Get rid of this,' she said while holding the anti-theft strip.

'It's a tracking device. It even has little numbers down here. They are tracking your children.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9995053/They-tracking-daughters-Woman-thinks-anti-theft-device-bra-tracking-device.html

That is true! That’s also an anti-theft device. Next up – New Zealand! Yes, even New Zealand is not immune from crazy stupid people. So apparently I didn’t know this was a thing but in New Zealand, they’re under such ultra-strict lockdowns that taking fast food across city boundaries is considered an offense. You know this is just such a weird time we live in. But really right now don’t do anything stupid because the last place you want to be is prison. Or the hospital.

Two men have been arrested after police said they found them with a car boot-full of Kentucky fried chicken and over $100,000 in cash as they tried to cross the border into Auckland despite New Zealand’s strict Covid-19 lockdown.

The men were arrested after allegedly trying to flee from police near the Auckland border. When their car was searched, police said they found a large quantity of KFC, as well as the cash and a number of empty ounce bags.

The arrest struck a chord with New Zealanders – especially Aucklanders, who have spent a month in a strict level four lockdown that does not allow restaurants to open or residents to order takeaway food.

In such an environment, fast food can take on the aura of a high-value illicit substance. Last week, a man was charged by police after posting a social media video of crossing the Auckland boundary in search of McDonald’s.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/21/new-zealand-police-arrest-pair-trying-to-enter-auckland-with-large-amount-of-kfc

Yeah and don’t eat all of the skin on the chicken either. Next up – of course we have to go to our favorite state, the Sunshine State. America’s Wang. Florida. The state that never ceases to bring the crazy. But if you’re out and you get busted by the cops for whatever traffic violation you may happen to commit, maybe don’t do what Florida Man does. That’s right – he twerked during the stop. Don’t do what Florida Man does!

As recent news out of the Orange County Sheriff's Office will tell you, the law doesn't look too kindly on dance moves. A Florida man found that out the hard way this week, when he was tased after twerking during a traffic stop on September 7.

In video captured by a passing motorist, Richard Wolfe of Crystal River rubs himself on the outside of his SUV while thrusting his hips at a police officer. The 57-year-old proceeds to get down and twerk before dancing into the traffic lanes of State Road 44 in Inverness.

At one point, Wolfe removed a knife from his waistband and tossed it into the grass.

"What are you scared of? I got knives, you got a gun!," he yelled at the officers, per their arrest report. ..............(more)

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2021/09/09/florida-man-tased-for-twerking-during-rainy-traffic-stop

Wrong song. Next up – yet another batshit crazy story coming from the Florida panhandle. So if you’re a wannabe car thief, this should be a guide on how not to steal a car. Because stealing a car is one thing, a backyard barbecue with Netflix and chill is another. But don’t combine the two whatever you do! This is a story that has multiple levels of stupid. But it’s one of the reasons why we love Florida anyways!

A Florida man has been arrested after stealing 60 sets of keys from an auto dealership and chose to drive off in a 2005 GMC Sierra pickup truck.

Police responded Friday to a burglary report at LG Auto Sales located in Boyton Beach, where the suspect, identified as Gino Puglisi, 52, allegedly stole property estimated to be worth around $36,500, WPTV reported.

According to Boynton Beach police, Puglisi also made off with a 45-inch Samsung TV valued at $1,500, two Dell laptops valued at $1,000 each, and $3,000 worth of wrenches, screwdrivers, and pliers — along with the 60 sets of keys and truck.

....(snip)....

Police say that a pursuit ensued until it was called off as Puglisi continued at high rate of speed.

The 52-year-old man then crashed the truck into an office building, fled the scene, and was taken into custody by police after he was found pretending to be grilling on a porch at a nearby apartment. ...........(more)

https://www.tampafp.com/florida-man-steals-pickup-tuck-crashes-pretend-to-grill-on-strangers-porch/

Finally this week – stupid internet challenges! And this one might be one of the stupidest. We know we’re still in a pandemic and we know that the wheels of society are very slowly beginning to turn again, but that shouldn’t make people this dumb. Whatever you do when you return to whatever it is that you do, maybe don’t destroy property and steal things. Yeah sure it might be fun and it might get you a few likes on Facebook, but don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time!

Whether it's stolen urinals, smashed floor tiles or missing soap dispensers, the destruction is apparent in school bathrooms across the United States.

It's the latest trend to go viral on Tiktok, called "devious licks":
Middle school, high school and college students vandalize school property, most commonly bathrooms, and post their results on the social media app.

A quick search on Twitter revealed a copious catalog of "devious lick" videos, which featured people stealing a bathroom sink and other school property. In response, some schools are locking bathrooms for large portions of the day.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/18/health/devious-licks-tiktok-challenge-wellness/index.html

That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Road To Recall: Recall Madness
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Welcome back to part 3 of our 4 part series – Road To Recall! Well we did it everybody! The 2021 California recall election is in the books! And we won! Again! MAGA got spanked. And they didn’t get spanked so much as they got their asses beat in a TKO within the first ten seconds before the MMA fans barely have any time to get drunk! That was seriously like a Little League team taking on the New York Yankees! But here’s the thing that you need to know about recall elections. Besides the fact that a good 99% of them are complete bullshit, they rarely succeed. To put things in perspective - California has had 4 governors face a recall vote, but only one has actually succeeded. Scary to think we came close but ultimately democracy prevailed once again!

While most recalls aren’t as high profile as the one California just wrapped up, voters around the state increasingly are using recalls as a tool of change – and several Southern California communities could see one or more local recall elections before the year is out.

In 2020, disgruntled voters launched at least nine attempts to recall members of local city councils and school boards around the region. Current recall efforts have qualified for ballots or are being promoted in at least five cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties – and they’re among more than 50 recall campaigns launched this year statewide.

Most recall efforts fail, usually because proponents don’t get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. But even without getting on a ballot, a recall effort can send a political message. And some critics say recalls can be misused, and may distract elected officials from serving their constituents.

“If they’re constantly under threat of recall, it’s pretty hard for them to govern,” said political pollster Adam Probolsky. “On the other hand, that may be the purpose of the whole thing.”
https://www.ocregister.com/2021/09/17/recall-mania-runs-far-beyond-the-governors-office/

Can’t win elections if you don’t have a credible candidate or a plan! But if you want to look at where recalls succeed as much as they fail, look no further than North Dakota. The first recall election in American history happened in North Dakota in 1921 – also during a pandemic. And not only was the governor recalled but his two successors were also recalled in that election! Yeah that was a thing that happened!

The first was Lynn Frazier in 1921. He was in the middle of his third term as North Dakota’s governor when he was successfully recalled and removed from office, according to the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Rutgers University’s Eagleton Center on the American Governor said Frazier was recalled “following a dispute about state-owned industries.” Frazier would go on to represent North Dakota in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1941.

The second -- and most recent -- governor to be successfully recalled was Gray Davis in California in 2003. Davis, a Democrat, was removed less than a year after being reelected for a second term. The recall against Davis came amid an electricity crisis and state economic recession, according to the Eagleton Center on the American Governor.

Davis was replaced by actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who would go on to serve as governor until 2011.

There was also a gubernatorial recall election in 2012 in Wisconsin. But unlike Frazier and Davis, Republican Gov. Scott Walker won the recall election and kept his job. Walker served as Wisconsin’s governor until 2019.
https://www.king5.com/article/news/verify/government-verify/recall-election-governors-us-history/536-4c608602-fcf6-4dae-9c76-2c526d480026

Yeah everyone was fired there! But that said another state facing some ridiculously hard times is Alabama. They’re a state that’s been hit hard by anti-vaxxer discord and extreme MAGA partisan politics that’s resulted in what some might call a “cluster fuck”. In fact their governor Tate Reeves could possibly be recalled as well as Senator Tuberville. Could either of these happen? Well it’s highly doubtful given how red Alabama really is.

More than a decade ago, a group of irate residents in the small city of Vincent gathered signatures from 30% of the city’s voters and plunked down a petition to have the entire city government recalled following a dispute over a controversial zoning decision.

But there was a big problem behind this effort: No recall provision is written into state law in Alabama.

“It started up, but then went away quickly from there,” said Raymond McAllister, who was mayor at the time when the failed recall effort surfaced in 2011.

Alabama is one of 31 states that do not permit recall elections of any public official in any office. In addition, Alabama is not among the 27 states that allows for citizen-driven initiatives or referendums, which would allow voters to circumvent the Legislature to get popular issues authorized through the ballot box, such as lottery and gambling.

“I used to tell students that you probably want citizen initiative and recall in Alabama,” said Jess Brown, a retired political science professor at Athens State University. “But you probably don’t want it as easily done as Western states. As you can tell, (California) had chaos on their hands.”
https://www.al.com/news/2021/09/will-alabama-ever-have-recall-elections-like-california.html

That said, you might be thinking “where is Florida in all of this?” and I answer you – this is one state where it could actually happen. We’ve been discussing through the last year how much of a clusterfuck that the state of Florida is in, and it all leads to one man – Ron DeSantis. Who is clearly going for the Fox News / Facebook troll arm of the vote. And it’s costing him. And in the event that this actually goes to a vote, don’t worry – we’ll be there to cover it all!

In November 2018, Gavin Newsom won the race for the California governor with 62% of the vote, the highest share ever for a Democratic candidate. But by the summer of 2021, after a series of missteps, Newsom was in danger of losing a recall election that would have removed him from office. Polls showed a dead heat between supporters and opponents of the recall, a stunning development in one of the bluest states in the country.

Fast forward to Sept. 14, the day of the California election. Not long after the polls closed, it became clear that the opponents of the recall had won a sweeping victory and Gov. Newsom would remain in office. The next morning, with two-thirds of the votes counted, recall opponents led supporters by a margin of 64 to 36.

What happened? After a stumbling start, Newsom waged a strong campaign. He raised a lot of money, got President Biden and Vice President Harris to appear on his behalf, and turned the election into a head-to-head contest with Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host who embraced Donald Trump and espoused positions on social issues that were out of step with the electorate. Under the bizarre recount laws, the voter gets to vote yes or no on the recall and then can immediately choose from a list of candidates. In this recent case, 46 candidates vied for the slot—none of whom were close to getting a majority of the voters.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/09/16/pandemic-politics-why-gavin-newsom-beat-the-recall-and-ron-desantis-is-in-trouble/

[font size="4"]Next Week:[/font]

Next week we have the final thoughts in part 4 of our 4 part series and how to prevent the next recall, because you know there will be one!

[font size="8"]And Now This:[/font]
[font size="8”]Modest Mouse [/font]

Folks my next guest has a great new album out called “The Golden Casket”. You can see them on tour through October 12th which includes stops at the Ace Hotel in LA on 9/25 and the Austin City Limits Festival on 10/9. Playing their song “Wooden Soldiers”, give it up for Modest Mouse!

Thank you Houston! We’re off to Denver, Colorado with live music from Primus next! See you next week!

Credits

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September 16, 2021

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-8: You Should Be Jabbing Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-8: You Should Be Jabbing Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! What’s up Burbank? We’re back! That’s right for the last 12 months we’ve been holed up in the green room here doing our thing so we wanted to thank the good people here at Flappers by doing a send off show here with a real audience! Of course we still have lots of tomfoolery ahead in the season to come! Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do! So normally on this program we don’t grave dance when a prominent conservative dies. That’s not in our nature. But this guy considering that’s exactly what he did, well, sometimes exceptions have to be made, damn it! I’m not made of stone! I’m of course talking about this story out of Denver. This guy Bob Enyart, who was a right-wing Christian pastor who hosted a show, ironically called “Real Science Radio”, and one of the features on the show is what is gaining the most controversy. Of course Bob was also a known shit poster of pro-Trump and anti-vaccine memes on Facebook in addition to this program. But the feature is that he gleefully read the names of AIDS victims while blasting the Queen classic “Another One Bites The Dust”. Well, this week Pastor Bob unfortunately lost his battle with COVID. And you know what, while we’re all out of empathy, we feel that this is the only way to properly mourn (celebrate?) the life of Pastor Bob Enyart. Hit it!

Another one bites the dust! OK that’s enough of the intro this week, we have a lot of idiocy to get to but first - John Oliver is back in the studio and he takes a look at the batshit crazy, extremely unpopular Prime Minister of Belarus - Alexander Lukashenko!

&t=6s

This week was September 11th. As such we commemorate the anniversary of that terrible tragedy by taking our annual look showing just how much progress we’ve made in the last 20 years, which is slim to nil, and so for that the top slot goes to… eh, conservatives (1). In the second slot this week is anti-vaxxers (2). Look people, get the damn vaccine. Don’t fall for scams, or cons, or bullshit “miracle cures”, just do it it! Even Biden is getting mad too! Taking the 3rd slot this week is the Right Wing (3). You know that calls for violence are getting more and more hostile and the FBI fears another Capitol Riot style attack on the government? Yeah. That is where we are at right now. In the number 4 slot this week is our old buddy Ron DeSantis (4). But not because of COVID, because of this insane new law that allows someone to legally drive a car into a protest. Yeah is it any wonder why staying home is the best option right now? In the #5 slot this week is a new Top 10 Investigates! This week we’re going to take a look at what’s going on at our ports right now – they’re stacked to the brim and traffic can’t move fast enough and things are going to get ugly. In the number 6 slot this week is of course our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit”. Last week Texas passed one of the most insane anti-abortion laws in the entire country, but they have a challenger – the Church Of Satan! And we honestly might have to side with the devil on this one! In the #7 slot this week is a new Beating A Dead Horse (7). Look, we don’t need to tell you that UFC and boxing have always been a hotbed for far right political activity, guess maybe one too many blows to the head will do that to you! In the number 8 slot this week, is a new edition of Conspiracy Corner (8), and seriously you don’t know how far conservatives will go to not take the thing that they’re supposed to be taking. It’s getting absurd to say the least! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week is a new I Need A Drink (9) and this week marks the return of New York’s famous Met Gala, and of course all the weird and wacky fashions that go with it! Finally this week in our second round of Road To Recall (10), what’s up with the California recall? We will have the news of the winner (or loser) in this week’s election! Plus we have some live music for you from the only 100% authorized Frank Zappa tribute band out there, the Zappa Band! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]The 20th Anniversary Of 9/11
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This isn’t exactly a fun entry to start off this week, but every year we’ve been commemorating the anniversary of 9/11 by showing either how far we’ve come as a society, how backwards we’ve gone as a society, or what right wing politicians are doing to completely fuck up the matter. It's a somber occasion, don't get me wrong, but usually it’s the latter because they tend to bring it every single year. Especially since they merged the GOP with the Q / MAGA crowd. But that said, this year happens to be the 20th anniversary of that terrible day. Holy shit! It's been 20 years? I remember that day like it was yesterday. So let’s see where we are at. I’m going to start with the ceremonies. First off former presidents Clinton and Obama and current president Biden attended the New York City 9/11 memorial where Bruce Springsteen performed. Former president Bush attended the Flight 93 memorial in Pennsylvania. And then there was former president Shit For Brains. You know where he was? Don??t worry we’ll get to that more in Beating A Dead Horse. But here’s where he was!

What was supposed to be the return of Oscar De La Hoya has changed significantly after the Golden Boy tested positive for COVID-19. De La Hoya was removed from his scheduled Triller Fight Club boxing match in California with former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort.

In his place will be 58-year-old Evander Holyfield, who will have his first professional boxing match in 10 years when he takes on Belfort on Saturday in Hollywood, Fla.

That won't be the only change: Former President Donald Trump has been added to the broadcast team.

You read that right.

The former POTUS will provide "No Holds Barred" guest commentary with his son Donald Trump Jr., UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal and broadcaster Todd Grisham from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. The commentary for the four-fight PPV card will be part of a third audio option, the "gamecast," which viewers can purchase for $49.99 via FITE.tv. The primary commentary team will be Grisham, Ray Flores and former boxing champion Shawn Porter.
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/boxing/news/donald-trump-evander-holyfield-vitor-belfort-fight/xhut0h1dkuap18az4qtnmik9x

So did I tell you that they’d manage to completely fuck it up? Because they did! But why did the families of the victims not want Biden to come to the memorial services this year? Well there’s a reason behind it, and it involves our old friends in Saudi Arabia. Because… yeah fuck the Saudis. So the reason why is that there’s increasing evidence that the Saudis were the real ones behind the 9/11 attacks and there was a plan to cover it up. Let’s pull a Scooby Doo here and find out who the real attackers were!

Nearly 1,800 Americans directly affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are opposing President Joe Biden’s participation in any memorial events this year unless he upholds his pledge to declassify U.S. government evidence that they believe may show a link between Saudi Arabian leaders and the attacks.

The victims’ family members, first responders and survivors will release a statement Friday calling on Biden to skip 20th-anniversary events in New York and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon unless he releases the documents, which they believe implicate Saudi officials in supporting the acts of terrorism. The group says that as a candidate Biden pledged to be more transparent and release as much information as possible but that his administration has since then ignored their letters and requests.

“We cannot in good faith, and with veneration to those lost, sick, and injured, welcome the president to our hallowed grounds until he fulfills his commitment,” they wrote in a statement obtained by NBC News.

“Since the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission in 2004 much investigative evidence has been uncovered implicating Saudi government officials in supporting the attacks,” the statement says. “Through multiple administrations, the Department of Justice and the FBI have actively sought to keep this information secret and prevent the American people from learning the full truth about the 9/11 attacks.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/9-11-families-president-biden-don-t-come-our-memorial-n1276138

Yes and they would have got away with it too if not for those meddling liberals! They need a wannabe dictator to keep people in line! Of course that’s one of those days that will live in infamy where everyone remembers where they were that day. And that also said we’re not going to talk about Former Guy here a lot because we have an entire entry dedicated to him later on this edition. But what we will do instead is show you that video where he bragged about having the tallest building in New York!

A video of former President Donald Trump's unusual first reaction to the terrorist attacks from September 11, 2001, has gone viral on the tragedy's 20th anniversary.

As Trump made surprise trips to police and fire stations in New York City on Saturday, a resurfaced short clip of his call into the WWOR-TV station on the day of the terror attacks two decades ago drew significant attention on Twitter.

"It was an amazing phone call. 40 Wall Street actually was the second tallest building in downtown Manhattan and it was, actually before the World Trade Center, the tallest. And when they built the World Trade Center it became known as the second tallest and now it's the tallest," the future president told WWOR at the time.

The video has been watched more than 231,000 times since it was shared by former federal prosecutor Ron Filipkowski on the 20th anniversary of the tragedy Saturday morning. https://www.newsweek.com/video-trump-saying-he-now-had-tallest-manhattan-building-9-11-goes-viral-anniversary-1628184

Yeah BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! OK not going to talk about him anymore. Instead I will show you how a real leader leads. Because we are not going to let him bring his negative energy into our 9/11 memorial OK? Stop it! But here’s how Joe Biden is paying tribute to a national tragedy – with all of the class and dignity that you would expect. And there’s nothing funny about this so we are not even going to try. Just… think of the victims here.

From an urban memorial to a remote field to the heart of of the nation’s military might, President Joe Biden on Saturday paid tribute at three hallowed places of grief and remembrance to honor the lives lost two decades ago in the 9/11 terror attacks.

The solemn day of commemoration offered frequent reminders for Americans of a time when they united in the face of unimaginable tragedy. That fading spirit of 9/11 was invoked most forcefully by the president at the time of the attacks, George W. Bush, who said, “That is the America I know,” in stark contrast to the bitterly divided nation Biden now leads.

Biden left the speech-making to others, paying his respects at the trio of sites in New York, Pennsylvania and outside Washington where four hijacked planes crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people, shattering the nation’s sense of security and launching the country into two decades of warfare.

Biden wiped away a tear as he stood in silence at the site where the World Trade Center towers fell, and looked up at the haunting sound of a jet plane under clear blue skies reminiscent of that fateful day.
https://www.wymt.com/2021/09/11/biden-marks-911-anniversary-with-tribute-call-unity/

[font size="8"]Anti-Vaxxers
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OK now back to comedy! We need some music for this one!

Hey anti-vaxxers, you know what you should be doing right now? You should be jabbing! You should be jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabing! Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! That’s about the best Bee Gees impression that I can do. What? I can’t sing! But that said, we can’t stress enough how important it is to get the vaccine. It is free, it is safe, it is reliable. You know what’s not reliable? Horse dewormer. Malaria drugs. Drinking iodine. Yes, that’s the latest bullshit cure (see this week’s Conspiracy Corner for more!). That said, Joe Biden may have unleased a Costco size can of worms last week because he poked the hornet’s nest known as anti-vaccine crusaders. But make no mistake – the propaganda war on vaccine mandates is about to get really scary. And those idiots who are crashing school board meetings and protesting at city halls? Well you ain’t seen nothing yet! Bwaaaaaaaaaaaa bwaaaaaaaaaaa you ain’t seen nothing yet! I know, I can’t sing. But anyway:

America’s vaccination campaign has made slow, steady progress since its summer lull—and is likely to accelerate as new public and private sector mandates take effect. At the same time, right-wing political and media figures, who have already held back the country’s pandemic response, are finding more moronic battles to fight in the COVID culture war. In recent weeks alone, MAGA conservatives have opted to take a horse dewormer over the safe vaccines; elected officials have likened Joe Biden to a violent dictator for instituting shot requirements a majority of Americans support; and Tucker Carlson has devoted time on his program to talk about what may or more likely may not have happened to Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend’s testicles after taking his jabs. As the ailing country struggles to get better, the anti-vax right seems even more determined to get worse.

Just how much worse could they get? Is it possible their attacks on common sense and the societal good get somehow more absurd? Will the rise of requirements give rise to a search for loopholes? Could their performative, but by now reflexive, opposition to COVID vaccine mandates extend to other vacci
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/09/the-rights-war-on-covid-vaccine-mandates-is-about-to-get-scary

Exactly! Oh shit! Just wait until the shit hits the fan here. So Biden opened a can of worms and it’s given fuel for the anti-vaxxers. And they are getting ruthless and merciless. They’re also not going away any time soon. But regardless of what they want or think this is the correct thing to do. Because if we don’t start telling these people to shut up, the virus will get worse again. And nobody wants that. But here’s where the rebellion is getting crazy.

Ohio legislative leaders put the brakes on a controversial anti-vaccination mandate bill just weeks ago. Now conservatives in the House are making moves to force a floor vote on the measure.

State Rep. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester, is gathering lawmakers' signatures on a discharge petition to force an immediate floor vote on House Bill 248.

She needs 50 signatures but so far the petition is only signed by Gross and state Rep. Nino Vitale, R-Urbana.

It's the latest turn in pitched battle between health care and business interests that oppose the bill and those who oppose medical mandates and place a premium on individual rights.

Gross asked her fellow lawmakers to sign the petition after President Joe Biden announced last week that his administration will direct employers with 100 or more employees to require their workforce to get vaccinated or face weekly testing for COVID-19.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/09/14/biden-mandates-vaccines-ohio-lawmakers-house-bill-248-vote-discharge-petition/8331306002/

My reaction exactly! Now here’s where it gets weird and you knew it was going to. So while Joe Biden can mandate vaccines at the federal level that won’t stop state or local levels from finding ways around it whether it’s through religious exemptions or other BS means. But my favorite part of this whole thing is our old buddy Tucker Carlson. So rapper Nicki Minaj tweeted a bizarre side effect of the vaccines, which isn’t true, and Tucker read it on the air like it was some sort of anti-vaccine diatribe. Can we show that clip?

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1437582787608031232

That happened! And it’s one of those things that you can’t possibly make up!

It's not every day that Fox News host Tucker Carlson comes on the air to defend rapper Nicki Minaj and her tweets about swollen testicles.

But Monday was one of those days after Minaj fired off a series of tweets revealing she hasn't been vaccinated against COVID-19 and wouldn't be attending the Met Gala, slamming the event's vaccine requirement. She also tweeted a baseless claim that COVID-19 vaccines cause impotence, insisting this happened to her cousin's friend. "His testicles became swollen," she claimed. "His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding." According to the CDC, there's no evidence that "any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, can cause fertility problems in men or women." Minaj went on to urge followers not to be "bullied" into getting vaccinated.

On his show Monday, Carlson addressed Minaj's tweets, reading her post about her cousin's friend and about not being "bullied" before saying this "seems sensible." He also said that having an opinion on vaccine mandates "is still technically allowed in this country," and the Fox host promised to further report on the "big reaction" to Minaj's tweets on his Tuesday show. During this segment, the Fox News chyron read, "NICKI MINAJ: COUSIN'S TESTICLES BECAME SWOLLEN," although the tweet was actually about her cousin's friend. Carlson has argued against vaccine mandates and has refused to say whether he's been vaccinated himself.

Amid the backlash, Minaj criticized news coverage of her tweets and suggested she "didn't want to travel" to the Met Gala because of "my young child." She also went after MSNBC host Joy Reid, who blasted Minaj on the air for using her platform "to put people in the position of dying from a disease they don't have to die from." Minaj claimed Reid was spreading "a false narrative about a Black woman.".
https://theweek.com/fox-news/1004823/tucker-carlson-defends-nicki-minajs-sensible-vaccine-skeptical-tweet-about-her

I honestly have to admit that I didn’t have “swollen balls” on my anti-vaccine bingo card! Though if you want a good laugh go on Twitter and search the hashtag “#MyCousinTookTheVaccine”, there’s some pretty funny shit there! But that said, all fun and games aside, the shit is about to hit the fan. Someone really needs to do a South Park style “THIS IS WHAT ANTI-VAXXERS REALLY THINK!” type of video. This is nothing to joke about, and shit is about to get real!

Missouri lawmakers, business lobbyists and protesters on Wednesday railed against President Joe Biden’s planned vaccine mandate for large companies.

Business groups warned a panel of House legislators that Biden’s plan would be catastrophic to small companies as protesters held handmade signs and rallied in the Capitol rotunda.

Biden announced last week that the Labor Department is working to require businesses with 100 or more employees to order those workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or show a negative test result at least weekly.

Biden announced the new mandate and several other steps last Thursday as part of a tougher effort by the administration to curb the surging delta variant of the coronavirus, which is responsible for sharp increase in U.S. infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

But the move sparked widespread outrage among Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature.
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-legislature-67c285715e0bddf7067e5b16a81bb974

[font size="8"]Capitol Rioters
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So the last few weeks we’ve been talking about the Capitol Riots on 1/6 and all the crazy things that have been happening since then. Now the question is – could it happen again? You know what let’s look at something that should have come to light during the second impeachment trial. There’s no mistake at least in my mind and everyone who follows this program knows that the Former Guy, by all means, should have been arrested for inciting violence against lawmakers and even his own party’s vice president. Seriously, has a former president in American history ever threatened to kill his own party’s vice president? I honestly don’t think so, though there’s so much I don’t know about American history at all. But that said, here’s what happened exactly.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the top U.S. Army general that then-President Donald Trump was a “dictator” who “should have been arrested on the spot” after what she called his coup attempt to remain in the White House by inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, a new book reveals.

Pelosi also said during a phone call in January with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mike Milley that “the Republicans have blood on their hands” for enabling Trump’s delusions about his ability to retain the presidency, the book says.

“But it is a sad state of affairs for our country that we’ve been taken over by a dictator who used force against another branch of government,” Pelosi, a California Democrat, told Milley during the call several days after the riot, according to “Peril,” a new book by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.

“And he’s still sitting there. He should have been arrested. He should have been arrested on the spot,” said Pelosi, who is second in line in the order of presidential succession.

“He had a coup d’etat against us so he can stay in office. There should be some way to remove him,” said the speaker, who at the time was trying to pursue the suspension of Trump’s power as president by getting then-Vice President Mike Pence and the Trump Cabinet to trigger the constitution’s 25th Amendment.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/14/trump-should-have-been-arrested-for-capitol-riot-pelosi-told-milley.html

Oh people stop your rabbling! But that happened! Trump was a dangerous man that day and he had his own private army consisting of militias and psychopaths looking to kill. But they were just innocent tourists that day depending on who you talk to! And you want to know something even more disturbing than that? Well even worse is that Melania Trump literally had no reaction to the fact that people were trying to burn down the Capitol!

If one thinks back to January 6, 2021, and the events surrounding the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the first thing that probably comes to mind is that the insurrection was started by the president of the United States in response to losing the election. After that, one also probably thinks about how that president, Donald Trump, did nothing to stop the rioters trying to burn down democracy in his name, and in fact released a video wherein he (1) declared that the failed coup that left several people dead was justified and (2) told the perpetrators, “You’re very special” and “we love you,” which precipitated his banishment from social media. Aside from how Trump reacted, though—i.e., like an insane wannabe despot—one might also remember the reaction of then first lady Melania Trump—or rather, the lack thereof.

As a reminder, for a whopping five days following the shocking events that unfolded at the Capitol, the country heard nary a peep from Melania “Be Best” Trump. When she did release a statement, it was less about condemning the violence and more about expressing how pissed off she was re: perceived attacks on her character. “I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me—from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda,” Melania, or someone in her office, wrote. “This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain.”

While it was previously reported that as the insurrection unfolded, Melania declined to issue a plea for the violence to stop, one might have thought there was some sort of dialogue between the first lady and her staff in which she explained her refusal to say something. But apparently, not so much! Per Politico:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/09/melania-trump-capitol-attack-stephanie-grisham

Yes, that is some pretty damning allegations against the former president and first lady! Now getting back to the topic at hand – could another Capitol Attack happen again? Well last week we reported on the fact that some of them are being labeled “political prisoners”. Oh fuck off! Nelson Mandela was a political prisoner. Martin Luther King, Jr was a political prisoner. You’re just a bunch of nobodies who trashed the Capitol trying to install a wannabe dictator, and failed. But the FBI is very concerned that could happen again.

An email warning of violence from rallies like the one that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riots originated from an FBI facility in Huntsville, new reports show.

An FBI intelligence analyst at the Hazardous Devices School at Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal sent the email warning on Nov. 9, 2020, just after the presidential election was called for Democrat Joe Biden over incumbent president Donald Trump, Politico reported. The message, circulated through the FBI and some of its state and local partners, warned that “chatter from the far-right indicates the belief the election was stolen from President Trump,” adding recipients should “keep your head on a swivel.”

“On a popular militia forum, users called to execute Biden, Democrats, tech company employees, journalists, and other ‘rats’,” the FBI analyst said in the email. “QAnon and Neo-Nazi groups are using the election results to issue additional calls for action aligned with their specific ideologies.

“Nationwide rallies: Waves of ‘#StopTheSteal’ and similar hash-tag events are being organized across the country as various voter fraud theories gain momentum among Trump supporters. As these materialize, counter-protests and violence will likely ensue.”
https://www.al.com/news/2021/09/email-warning-of-violence-ahead-of-jan-6-capitol-riot-came-from-huntsville-fbi-facility-report.html

But there is good news – their numbers are dwindling. And they are declining very rapidly as we have seen in the California recall election. By the way if you want to see how the MAGA movement is going at the moment, let’s take a look at what happened in Kentucky last week. Our old buddy Mike Lindell, along with traitor Michael Flynn and batshit crazy alt right pastor Greg Locke (who we might have to profile in a future “This Fucking Guy”), and they expected thousands. They got hundreds. Where’s Nelson when you need him?

Some of the biggest names pushing pro-Trump conspiracy theories were unable to draw much of a crowd at a "We the People Reunion" rally in Kentucky.

"The event is hosting speakers such as the CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, former national security advisor Michael Flynn and Pastor Greg Locke, who has in the past admitted to being at the Capitol during the January 6 Capitol riot," WFIE 14 News reported.

The station reported on attendance at the event.

"Promoters said they expected crowds of around 10,000 people. Fewer than 300 were at the event when 14 News arrived," the network reported.
https://www.salon.com/2021/09/12/mike-lindell-pro-trump-conspiracy-theorists-fail-to-draw-crowd-at-kentucky-rally_partner/

Thanks Nelson!

[font size="8"]Florida
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Florida. The Sunshine State. America’s Wang. Yes, Florida gets a bad rap and a bad reputation and that’s rightfully true. Because Florida has some of the most batshit crazy people to inhabit the earth. Literally every other week we bring you something crazy that Florida Man is up to. But this week, the really crazy Florida Man is none other than Florida Governor himself, Ron DeSantis. He’s really trying to vie for the top of the MAGA food chain isn’t he? And if you check out r/HermanCainAwards, that food chain seems to be getting smaller and smaller every day. But that’s not what we’re talking about this week. Instead we’re going to talk about something that might have slipped through the cracks. So while everyone is focused on Texas, Florida is passing some laws that might be controversial to protestors.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s “anti-riot” bill into law on Monday, a measure that vastly increases law enforcement’s powers to crack down on civil unrest.

The bill, pushed by the Republican governor, has been criticized by Democrats and civil rights groups as unconstitutional for infringing on the First Amendment’s right to peacefully protest.

“If you look at the breadth of this particular piece of legislation, it is the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Winter Haven surrounded by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, uniformed deputies and other law enforcement. “There’s just nothing even close.”

DeSantis also hinted that Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who he said last year had murdered George Floyd, might be acquitted and that the state was “prepared.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-desantis-signs-anti-riot-bill-20210419-iltp27x5mzcbheeqvyhclhz2xq-story.html

Ah yes Ron, but as we’ve seen time and time again it’s your side that’s doing the rioting, not ours! So this law targets the protestors and anyone doing the organizing of protests in Florida. But they can’t stop any protests from turning violent. And if you want to see where that gets you look at Oregon and the weekly bouts between the Proud Boys and Antifa in downtown Portland. You really want those guys in charge of taking down protests? I know I don’t! Also knowing Florida, there might be international incidents involved if things go awry!

Dozens of people supporting the growing anti-government protests in Cuba clogged one of Miami’s busiest highways all afternoon and well into rush hour Tuesday, a show of solidarity that could put them in violation of a new law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The new law, known as the “anti-riot” law, is clear: A person shall be cited for a pedestrian violation if they “willfully obstruct the free, convenient, and normal use of a public street, highway or road.” For instance, if a person stands or remains on a street, highway or roadway, they would be in violation of a section in state laws that would subject them to a $15 traffic citation.

But so far, none of the protesters who began marching on Coral Way and 87th Avenue around 11:30 a.m. and later blocked the Palmetto Expressway, between 1:30 p.m. and at least 5:30 p.m., have faced pedestrian violations, authorities say.

The mandate for a pedestrian citation, however, is part of a broader measure that DeSantis signed into law in April that is largely focused on enhancing criminal penalties for crimes committed during protests that turn violent or “disorderly.” The measure was one of DeSantis’ top legislative priorities and it was approved by the Republican-led Legislature nearly a year after protests broke out across the state and nation following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/07/13/can-florida-protesters-supporting-cuba-face-penalties-under-anti-riot-law/

Yeah riots don’t usually work that way, but we presume that’s what Ron DeSantis thinks that’s how riots are caused! So that’s the law in question. But this week we might get a reprieve from tyrannical governors like DeSantis. So if you protest police brutality in Florida, you can be brought down by the very police you are opposing. At least that’s not happening right now thanks to a judge in Florida blocking this utter bullshit bill.

A federal judge delivered a major blow to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday when he temporarily blocked some authorities from enforcing a key part of the Florida’s controversial “anti-riot” bill.

The measure, HB1, was a centerpiece of DeSantis’ legislative agenda as well as his reelection bid but had been heavily criticized as a way for police to crack down on racial justice and anti-police brutality demonstrations.

The new law is being challenged in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida by a handful of left-leaning organizations, including the NAACP and Dream Defenders, who argue it chills their free speech and right to protest. The legislation is wide-ranging and includes increasing penalties for already illegal acts like battery committed during a “riot,” creating new felonies related to violent protests and allowing those arrested while rioting to be held without bond.

The groups specifically asked U.S. District Judge Mark Walker to temporarily block the new law’s definition of “riot” while the underlying legal challenge plays out.

In a 90-page ruling issued Thursday, Walker did just that. He said that someone of “ordinary intelligence” would be unable to clearly tell if they broke the law when attending a protest that turned violent.
https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/09/09/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-controversial-desantis-backed-antiriot-measure-1390900

Now that’s what a violent protest looks like! Now it’s time to find out who’s responsible for this nonsense getting passed. And that’s Ron DeSantis and a couple of ultra-far right wing sheriffs and now they’re facing serious trouble. But even DeSantis himself acknowledges that the protests last year were mostly peaceful. And I’m not even sure that he knows what the definition of “riot” really is. But let’s keep beating that dead horse, and I hope we don’t see anything on the magnitude of what happened last year, but that can be impossible to predict.

The governor acknowledged that many of last summer’s protests in Florida were peaceful, but that the impetus for the measure was unrest in other parts of the country.

The Republican-dominated Legislature responded with a measure that was wide-ranging. Among many things, it enhanced criminal penalties for crimes committed during protests that turn violent or a “riot.”

Under the law, a person commits a riot if “he or she willfully participates in a violent disturbance involving an assembly of three or more persons, acting with a common intent to assist in violent and disorderly conduct” that results in an injury, damage of property or “imminent danger of injury.”

Walker said the Legislature is allowed to enact policies that enhance crimes and tougher penalties for offenses such as rioting. But, he said, “it must do so within the bounds of the Constitution.”
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article254116373.html

[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Shipping Container SNAFU
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Hey everyone! It’s time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!

As the gears of society begin turning after being shut down for more than 18 months, one of the biggest hit industries by the pandemic is one that most people pay very little attention to. That is the shipping industry. Now that international trade is starting to ramp back up again, America’s ports are in very dire straits. And with the shipping industry being the lifeblood of many other industries, including ones we rely on every day, expect things to be FUBAR for at least the next year. But in fact more people should be paying attention to the import / export industry. So just how bad are things right now? Well shipping delays could be felt well into next year. And we still have 4 months to go in the year 2021. So be patient while things start getting more and more back to normal after a raging pandemic. Strap in because we’re in a really rocky ride until this gets sorted out.

The US' supply chain woes aren't going away any time soon.

Shipping ports are already congested ahead of a busy holiday season thanks to a record-level of imports, according to the Wall Street Journal's Paul Berger. In the United States, ports were expected to handle 2.37 million imported containers in August, per the Global Port Tracker report produced by Hackett Associates for the National Retail Federation,the highest monthly volume since the NRF began keeping data in 2002.

The NRF is also projecting that 25.9 million containers will enter the U.S. in 2021, which would break 2020's record-setting 22 million boxes.

The import influx means that hundreds of thousands of containers are stuck stacked on ships or in terminals waiting to be moved inland, according to the Journal. When the containers finally do move, they're subject to additional congestion at warehouses, distribution centers, and freight rail yards, many of which are at full capacity.
https://www.businessinsider.com/shipping-delays-are-expected-to-last-well-into-2022-2021-9

25.9 million shipping containers is what one might call a “spicy meatball”. And it’s most likely going to get worse before it gets better. The shipping SNAFU has affected everything from cars to consumer electronics to video game consoles. And expect that it’s going to last through the winter which will translate into a really rocky Christmas. And that means you or your kids probably won’t get the toys that you really want this year.

You may not find everything you want for Christmas this year, or at least you’ll wait a bit longer to get some things, as shipping delays continue up and down the West Coast.

The delays are due to ongoing backups to unload cargo ships at West Coast ports, including the Northwest Seaport Alliance, which operates the cargo portions of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.

Ships that arrive in the inland waters of Puget Sound are finding themselves anchored from seven to 10 days before they can tie up and offload, and that’s on top of delays they may have already experienced at a previous stop, such as the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

“Then once they’re unloaded, there is some delay in getting onto rail cars or onto trucks, simply because every part of our system is being challenged with this large import demand that we’re seeing,” said Melanie Stambaugh with the Northwest Seaport Alliance.

The situation has been building about a year, in part because of increased demand on imports due to the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/shipping-delays-caused-by-full-cargo-ships-waiting-to-unload-along-west-coast/281-28fc2b7b-f25d-49c9-a5c8-5dfe2690646a

But there is good news on this front is that one of the largest ports in China is back to full operation after being mostly closed for the better part of last year. So we can start seeing more shipments of electronics including computer parts, car parts, and everything else you might need. But everyone needs to be patient as things start turning again. And while there has been mostly bad news in the past few months, this is actually some good news happening!

One coronavirus case was all it took to shut down a critical part of the world's third busiest container port.

Now, the Meishan terminal at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in eastern China is back up and running, according to the state-owned company that manages the port. Operations resumed at midnight, ending a two-week long suspension, Jiang Yipeng, deputy general manager of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Group, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The terminal in Ningbo, which is south of Shanghai, had been shut since August 11 after a dock worker tested positive for Covid-19. That led officials to swiftly suspend container pickup service, citing a "system disruption."

Peter Sand, chief shipping analyst at shipowner association BIMCO in Denmark, said that it could take up to 60 days for operations at the port to return to normal as workers and maritime pilots return from quarantine. That means retailers around the world will face continued disruption as they race to stock up ahead of the vital holiday shopping season.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/25/business/ningbo-port-meishan-covid-china-intl-hnk/index.html

But it’s not all good news – there is still some bad. We fooled you there for a second, didn’t we? So like we said, have some patience because this thing is going to get worse before it gets better. While everyone will almost certainly have a much better holiday season in 2021 than they did in 2020, don’t expect it to be shiny new cars and kids toys and all the other stuff you see on the holiday related commercials at this time of year.

The vast network of ports, container vessels and trucking companies that moves goods around the world is badly tangled, and the cost of shipping is skyrocketing. That's troubling news for retailers and holiday shoppers.
More than 18 months into the pandemic, the disruption to global supply chains is getting worse, spurring shortages of consumer products and making it more expensive for companies to ship goods where they're needed.
Unresolved snags, and the emergence of new problems including the Delta variant, mean shoppers are likely to face higher prices and fewer choices this holiday season. Companies such as Adidas (ADDDF), Crocs (CROX) and Hasbro (HAS) are already warning of disruptions as they prepare for the crucial year-end period.

"The pressures on global supply chains have not eased, and we do not expect them to any time soon," said Bob Biesterfeld, the CEO of C.H. Robinson, one of the world's largest logistics firms.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/23/business/global-supply-chains-christmas-shipping/index.html

That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day!

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My fair congregation! You know we here usually don’t take sides in the ongoing holy wars, we usually sit back and make fun of the situation at hand. Whose side are we taking this week? Well we are taking the side of the devil! So why are taking the side of the Dark LAWRD SAYTAN this week? Well the answer lies in that state of Texas – the Lone Star State. There, a servant of the Unholy Dark One – the man so disgusting that his name dare not be spoken in my church – but he’s not the subject of today. Instead it’s one of his minions – Gov. Greg Abbott, who passed one of the most restrictive and batshit insane abortion laws in the entire country last week. So with that happening, there’s actually a challenger now and it’s the Church Of Satan!

One religion is joining the opposition to Texas’ new abortion measure, claiming its members qualify for an exemption to the law as a faith-based organization.

The Satanic Temple, headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, is intending to flex its own freedom of religion rights by challenging the bill and requesting its members have access to abortion pills.

Members of the faith in Utah are gearing up to defend the church’s stance on abortion with a rally planned for Sept. 25 at the Utah State Capitol building, KTLA’s sister station, KTVX, in Salt Lake City reported.

While the temple’s imagery may be shocking to some, Satanists in Utah say they’re not evil.

“In my personal experience, people that have identified as Satanists are the nicest people that I’ve ever met and the most giving people that I’ve ever met in my entire life,” The Satanic Temple’s Utah congregation leader Cody Jones said. “Like any positive word you can possibly think of, I can use it to describe Satanists that I’ve met.”
https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/members-of-satanic-temple-explain-beliefs-plans-to-challenge-texas-abortion-law/

Oh are you now? It’s one thing to join a religion, but I’ve never actually been able to pinpoint what makes someone join the dark religion and worship the devil. But we’re in a holy war all right, a true war if you will, of good versus EEVIL! The light vs the dark. And to see SAYTAN on the light side is certainly something that we didn’t see coming. But then again we also didn’t think that Texas would go against JAYSUS with this insane new law, either!

The state of Texas, with approval from the U.S. Supreme Court, instituted the most draconian set of anti-abortion laws in the last 50 years this Tuesday. While pro-choice advocates scramble to save what’s left of Roe v. Wade, their salvation may come from an unexpected place: the Satanic Temple.

The nontheistic religious group, based out of Salem, Massachusetts, has filed a letter with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration arguing that their members should be allowed to access abortion pills without regulatory action. The temple is attempting to use its status as a religious organization to claim its right to abortion as a faith-based right.

The group argues that they should have access to the abortion pills Misoprostol and Mifepristone for religious use through the The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) which was created to allow Native Americans access to peyote for religious rituals. Under these rules, the Temple is arguing that they should be granted those same rights to use abortifacients for their own religious purposes.

“I am sure Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton—who famously spends a good deal of his time composing press releases about Religious Liberty issues in other states—will be proud to see that Texas’s robust Religious Liberty laws, which he so vociferously champions, will prevent future Abortion Rituals from being interrupted by superfluous government restrictions meant only to shame and harass those seeking an abortion," wrote Satanic Temple spokesperson, Lucien Greaves in a statement.
https://fortune.com/2021/09/03/why-satanists-may-be-the-last-hope-to-take-down-texass-abortion-bill/

But you do know that this is a ritual for the Church of SAYTAN right? For SAYTAN is not JAYSUS, in fact he is the opposite! JAYSUS is the light of the world, and SAYTAN is darkness. But in fact the Church Of SAYTAN is advertising. No, devil worshipping is never going to become mainstream, outside of maybe death metal shows. Despite that this is a trying time, politics does make for strange bedfellows, and in the side of good vs evil, the Church Of SAYTAN is one of the strangest bedfellows to have!

Sydney Goodwin, a spokesperson for the Satanic Temple, tells New Times the group launched the ad campaign in August. The idea of the "ritual" was crafted by a Satanist who had gone through an abortion and thought it would be a helpful device for others making the decision to terminate a pregnancy.

"The goal is to provide feelings of comfort in a trying time," says Goodwin.

The Satanic Temple believes in seven fundamental tenets that govern how members should act and what they believe. Tenet Three says that a person's body is subject only to their own will, and Tenet Six states that a Satanist's beliefs should conform to their best scientific understanding of the world. The abortion ritual involves reciting those two tenets and a personal affirmation of one's self as a Satanist.

Goodwin says that by performing the ritual, Satanists can proclaim their right to have a medically safe abortion without restriction under the federal Religious Freedoms Restoration Act, which prohibits any government agency from infringing on someone practicing their religion. That means that in states such as Florida, a Satanist can claim religious privilege and be exempt from those requirements, according to the Satanic Temple.
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/satanic-temple-abortion-ritual-advertised-on-miami-billboard-11779916

But while people might think this is a gimmick, and it most certainly is one, the Church Of SAYTAN and the Satanic Temple are not one to rest on their laurels. If there’s one thing that could potentially save this country from the iron grip of the Christian right, it most certainly could be the Dark Lord himself, and that would certainly make things interesting. I know I did not have this on my anti-abortion bingo card, that’s for sure!

SALEM, Mass., Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lawyers for The Satanic Temple (TST) sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to request that TST be able to access abortifacients without being subjected to the agency's regulations. Access to Misoprostol requires a prescription, and Mifepristone can only be obtained through an approved prescriber and can only be dispensed in accordance with specific guidelines.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was instigated and enacted to assure Native Americans could have unfettered access to peyote for their religious rituals. Consistent with this purpose, The Satanic Temple wants unfettered access to abortifacients for its religious use. Given that peyote is a Schedule I drug with no accepted medical use, TST's request for access to prescription drugs is an even more reasonable ask that should be granted under Federal law.

TST places certain voluntary abortions in a religious context with its religious abortion ritual. During the procedure, adherents affirm their religious beliefs of bodily autonomy and scientifically-reasoned personal choice. In their letter to the FDA, TST's legal counsel states, "TST has every desire to ensure the health and safety of its membership… the issue is with governmental control over whether TST's membership can obtain access to these drugs." TST's ritual requires a medical examination to determine whether there are "contraindications" to obtaining an abortion as defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or the American Academy of Family Physicians.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/satanic-temple-demands-fda-grant-140100466.html

So the lines have been drawn, my fair congregation! The line vs good and evil may have been flipped, and dark represents light, and light represents dark. That’s just the weird backwards word in which we live now. Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Beating A Dead Horse
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The UFC and the sport of boxing, as we’ve covered on this program time and time again, is a hotbed of far right and ultra-far right political activity. There’s really no middle ground here. I guess one too many blows to the head will do that to you. Which is why we’re not surprised that the former president is now a color commentator for boxing. I can only imagine the kind of shit he’s going to say during his every day fights. “Oh that was a right cross and the election was stole, Joe Biden is not the real president. OH! That was a total knockout… don’t forget that there was voter fraud!”. OK enough of that. I will admit I do not know much about boxing. But you know what? We don’t need that guy’s commentary or his fans cheering him at boxing matches, OK?

On September 11, 2001, Donald Trump honored the then-unknown number of dead in lower Manhattan by pointing out that the collapse of the World Trade Center meant that he now owned the tallest building downtown. To commemorate the event’s 20th anniversary, he visited a fire station and police precinct in New York City before flying back to Florida to guest-host a novelty pay-per-view boxing match with his son.

The former president, a promoter at heart, mostly stuck to vague bromides that couldn’t get him in trouble as he provided color commentary during four underwhelming bouts at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. “I think tonight’s card is going to be very successful,” he said, when asked about his expectations for the evening. “He is like a totally different fighter,” he said, seconds after a co-host made the exact same observation. “I like to do that,” he said, when asked if he liked to eat lobster. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the night is that Trump hung on for the whole undercard without getting visibly bored.

Though he largely behaved himself, a few non-boxing jabs inevitably came through. When asked at the beginning of the broadcast about 9/11, Trump said that the anniversary was made even worse because of a “very bad week” from President Joe Biden. He praised the state of Florida for the way they “ran the election clean.” Describing the way that referees decide boxing matches, he said, “It’s like elections: It could be rigged.” Donald Trump Jr., during a particularly boring moment in the first bout, said that “right now, the audience likes politics better.”
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/09/trumps-9-11-boxing-match-was-a-vision-from-another-reality.html

Of course he’s not going to say anything that’s going to get him in trouble. He’s the only former president not at a 9/11 memorial on 9/11, he’s already in enough trouble! It must be nice to live in an alternate reality when there’s no COVID or no 9/11 isn’t there? Now here’s where it gets weird because you knew it was going to. One of the fellow commentators was Donald Trump Jr, gee I wonder how they got him? But anyway he gave this little clue about what his father might talk about:

In an apparent effort to boost television ratings, Donald Trump Jr. has said that his father, former President Donald Trump, could reveal intelligence about aliens and Area 51 during the Holyfield vs. Belfort boxing fight in Florida on Saturday night.

The former president and his eldest son are scheduled to provide commentary from ringside for the boxing match between former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, 58, and former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, 44, on the night of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

And now, Trump Jr. has vowed that he'll press his father to disclose information about aliens and Area 51 during the match.

"We're gonna ask a lot of awesome questions, I'm definitely asking about aliens because I think now, maybe we get a solid answer on what exactly is going on in Area 51 and everywhere else, you're gonna want to listen, you're gonna want to tune in," Trump Jr. said in a promotional video shared to Twitter.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-jr-says-father-could-reveal-intel-about-aliens-area-51-during-boxing-fight-1628206

Of course! It’s never the aliens! But that’s what they want you to think! Or is it? But not only is this whole incident weird to begin with, it gets weirder, my friends! Oh yes! Don’t think for a minute anything involving Trump isn’t fucking weird. And don’t think for a minute that he won’t scream voter fraud or peddle his other bullshit. Because that’s exactly what you get at a Trump event – the insane ramblings of an incoherent, crazy individual.

Donald Trump reportedly used his 9/11 boxing commentary gig to push familiar lies about having lost the “rigged” 2020 election, as he watched Vitor Belfort stop Evander Holyfield in the first round of Saturday night’s headliner.

The former president returned to the public scene to call a bizarre match-up that ended abruptly following a flurry of blows from Mr Belfort, a mixed martial artist.

Mr Trump’s decision to spend the 20th anniversary of 9/11 commentating on a boxing match had attracted criticism, the move contrasting with other former presidents’ solemn attendance at memorial events.

The Republican was asked about the anniversary and took the opportunity to throw a few jabs at his successor, Joe Biden. According to USA Today, he said the Democrat had presided over “a very bad week because of some very bad decisions that were made”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-boxing-911-rigged-election-b1918586.html

Come on that was barely a tap! But this might be my favorite part of the whole exercise – Trump says that he wants to box Biden. Are you kidding me? Have you seen the kind of shape that Trump is currently in? He’s fat, can barely stand or walk up a ramp, wears diapers, and most likely has fried lungs from when he got COVID last year. So come on, go ahead Trump, challenge Biden. You’ll lose again and again. And again.

Former President Donald Trump said that he would like meet President Joe Biden in the boxing ring, suggesting it would be an easy fight.

Trump, 75, lost the 2020 presidential election to Biden, 78, in November 2020, but has continued to falsely claim that the election results were fraudulent. The former Republican president—and potential 2024 GOP contender—was asked who he'd like to go head-to-head with in the ring during a Thursday press event for 58-year-old Evander Holyfield's boxing match against 44-year-old Vitor Belfort.

"Well, if I had to pick somebody in the world—not only a professional boxer, because I'll take a pass on professional boxers. That would be a very dangerous subject. But if I had to box somebody? I think probably my easiest fight would be Joe Biden," Trump responded when asked who he'd choose to face in the ring.

"Because I think he would go down very, very quickly," the former president continued, as the crowd at the promotional event laughed and clapped. "Very, very quickly."
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-wants-box-biden-says-president-would-go-down-within-first-few-seconds-1627636

[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to our segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable – Conspiracy Corner! We of course are coming to you live from our underground doomsday shelter deep in the New Mexico badlands – undisclosed location of course! Just let me adjust my tin foil hat for maximum government interference… ah there we go! And you know what folks? I feel like I keep reporting on the same topic every week, but that’s only because *THEY* keep reporting on the same topic every week. And that topic happens to be a hot one – the COVID vaccine. But you won’t believe how far conservatives will go to take everything but the one thing that actually works. They’ve taken everything from horse deworming medication to a malaria drug. But before I get into one of the crazier solutions this week, I want you to meet one of their leaders. You know how you feel like everyone around you is in a member of some weird cult? Well this could be one of the reasons why.

“Today’s sermon is going to be on Unitopian Anarchy and Autonomy,” Unicole Unicron says in the opening of a sermon on YouTube. Clad in an ethereal white veil, against a background of dizzying black-and-white swirls, the leader of the self-described cult Unicult proceeds to spends the next 51 minutes detailing thoughts on the Covid-19 vaccine and why the cult’s leader is not encouraging followers to get the vaccine. “Only you have autonomy over your own body,” says Unicron, who uses xe/xim pronouns. “Do what is right for you. Perform no medical rituals that are against your own strong intuitive knowledge of your personal health.” Unicron then explains why xe believes contracting the virus would not get xim sick, saying, “I have ascended to the point where I am confident that my own experience of my own internal state and my own vibration of harmony is enough to protect me.”

In the sermon, Unicron also promoted the erroneous belief that the Covid-19 vaccine does not reduce the risk of getting or transmitting Covid. “I have done every single thing I can do within my own personal reality to protect myself from my point of view and there are people doing the same with the vaccines, and yet they’re still getting Covid,” xe said in the sermon. “So can we blame them for endangering society?”

Unicole Unicron is the leader of Unicult, an online cult that describes itself as “a collaborative effort for anyone who wants to work towards the goal of creating a bright and hopeful future.” Unicron, who lives in Los Angeles-based and works full-time as a UX writer, decided to start the cult after surviving a suicide attempt, as a way to find purpose and “stay alive.” Xe claims to be a magical being who is in contact with extraterrestrial beings who use xir as a vessel to promote their ideas. Basic admission to the cult, which mostly involves access to its Discord server, costs $11, while becoming a devoted member or a magician (essentially, a Unicult clergy member) costs $22 and $33, respectively.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/covid-vaccine-tiktok-cult-leader-unicult-1221294/

Wait, you have to pay dues? What kind of brainwashing cult is this? Most cults seize your assets and everything you own and force you to go live in a compound somewhere. At least that’s every crime novel I’ve ever seen! But there’s plenty of fake news out there when it comes to vaccines, people, so much that even the WHO is now calling fake news one of the biggest problems out there in relation to the pandemic. But even the higher ups in the GOP are going full anti-vax now. Why? Because “owning the libs” is their way of life!

Republicans’ sweeping denunciations of President Biden’s plan to force more people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus are raising concerns among public health experts that this heated criticism could help fuel a broader rejection of other vaccine requirements, including those put in place by schools and the military, as the issue of inoculations becomes increasingly political.

Over the weekend, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declared on Twitter that there should be “NO VACCINE MANDATES.”

More than a dozen other prominent Republicans in Congress and in the states have made similarly defiant statements in recent days, often using inflammatory rhetoric. In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster pledged to fight Biden and Democrats “to the gates of hell” on coronavirus vaccine mandates, while Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) condemned Biden’s recent mandate as “authoritarian” and the work of “a power hungry government.”

Rep. Jim Banks (Ind.) declared in a tweet Sunday evening that “vaccine mandates are unAmerican!”

-more-

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-condemnation-of-biden-coronavirus-mandate-fuels-concern-other-vaccine-requirements-could-be-targeted/ar-AAOpoTe

Of course it does! But wait until you see what they pulled out this week. So hydroxychloroquine didn’t work. Taking horse deworming medication didn’t work. And of course you know the old saying, “fool me once, shame on you”. But fool me 10,000 times… you must be a COVIDIOT. So that said, wait until you see what the latest “cure” they have for the disease is – wait for it – gargling iodine! That’s right – you might as well just sell them a can of magic beans at this point!

First, there was hydroxychloroquine. The latest fad was Ivermectin, the horse dewormer. In today’s “What will they think of next?” antivaxxers have taken to gargling with and ingesting Betadine to prevent Covid. Betadine is the brand name for povidone iodine, a commonly used antiseptic for cleaning skin and wounds and also used occasionally as a douche. A 0.5 % solution is sold as a gargle for sore throats, with a caution, “DO NOT SWALLOW.” The typical bottle of antiseptic sold for skin cleaning is a 10% solution.

Apparently, a Thai website was one of the earliest promoting Betadine treatment for Covid. It was debunked by AFP.

It’s unclear where the suggestion to ingest Betadine to prevent Covid came from. Here’s one hypothesis:

There are some studies that show some in vitro (lab test) activity of different antiseptics against coronavirus. For example, this 2020 study found Listerine, Iso-Betadine, and Dequonal mouthwashes to be effective against three strains of SARS-CoV-2, but this was in tissue cultures. A more recent study found that Listerine and Chlorhexidine disrupted the Covid virus under lab conditions. In that study, “Both Povidone iodine and Peroxal caused significant skin cell death in our studies, while both Listerine and Chlorhexidine had minimal skin cell killing at concentrations that simulated what would be found in daily use," according to Daniel Fine, the paper’s senior author. While studies such as these are encouraging, even the Listerine manufacturer notes that the data is not sufficient to make any recommendation for its use in fighting Covid.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2021/09/14/betadine-is-this-weeks-covid-19-cure-vying-with-ivermectin/

Yeah seriously, you might as well sell them a can of magic beans at this point! But here’s the thing – how do you get the public on your side in the bullshit wars? Well it’s an easy factor – you go after their trust and you do so by placing sorrow in something that is life-saving, such a vaccine. So the next time your anti-vax neighbors or anyone else you know starts spewing this crap, all you have to do is tell them that they have their trust in the wrong place! I wish it was that simple!

The antiparasitic drug ivermectin has no proven ability to treat Covid-19, but it’s flying off shelves across America because anti-vaccination circles and some conservative groups are billing it as a miracle cure. Some people are even turning to powerful, foul-tasting veterinary versions of the medicine used to deworm horses and cows to self-medicate — and calling in to poison control centers after having been overwhelmed by the dosage. And its popularity has been spiking even after some conservative media figures who touted its benefits have died from Covid-19.

The surging interest in ivermectin — substantial enough to prompt the Food and Drug Administration to warn in a tweet “You are not a horse” — is the latest symbol of our nation’s inability to reach consensus over how to deal with Covid-19. But as a phenomenon, its rise has some qualities, including endorsements from so-called experts, that underscore a major source of our crisis: a decline in trust in any institutions or authorities outside one’s political or cultural in-group. And that in turn suggests that the issue isn’t teaching people science but rebuilding the social bonds of our society.

Ivermectin is widely used to treat parasites in humans and in animals. As Dr. Ryan Marino, a medical toxicologist, notes for NBC News THINK, it does have antiviral effects at very high doses: doses that are too high for safe use in humans. Researchers have looked into ivermectin and consistently found that it neither prevents nor effectively treats Covid-19. Furthermore, studies that have suggested that it’s effective in treating Covid-19 have turned out to be fake, as Marino explains:
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/anti-covid-vaccine-crisis-all-about-mistrust-ivermectin-case-point-n1278327

[font size="8"]I Need A Drink
[br] [/font] [br] B

Hey everyone I don’t know about you but I could really use a drink!

So of course you know by now the idea behind this segment is that we have some drinks and we talk about literally anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. And this week – it’s the return of the fashion industry’s biggest night of the year – the Met Gala! So tell me bartender what goes well with a story about rich people wearing weird costumes? A Manhattan made with single malt whisky and covered in gold foil? Seriously, are we made of money here? We’re on a tight budget! You know what’s cheap though? Jack Daniels. So I’ll just have that mixed with Jack Daniels, thanks! But yeah so this week the Met Gala was held in New York and it’s one of the first large scale celebrity gathering in New York since the pandemic. And this isn’t your ordinary Met Gala stories. Instead, as Frank Reynolds from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia says – “We’re gonna get real weird with it!”. Well here’s what is behind door #1!

Zoë Kravitz just dared to bare... it all!

The actress arrived at the star-studded Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala on Monday in a sheer, crystal Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello slip dress with a matching silver thong underneath, leaving her backside totally exposed.

Not to be outdone, Channing Tatum arrived to the event first, wearing a standard black tuxedo with patent shoes and a white handkerchief in his pocket.

Earlier this month, a source told PEOPLE that Tatum, 41, and Kravitz, 32, "continue to be inseparable" in N.Y.C. where they have been spotted enjoying low-key activities, like grabbing lunch, drinking iced coffee, and bike riding together.

"They looked very happy. They have this cute and flirty chemistry," the source said.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/zo-kravitz-bares-her-whole-024804442.html

Man seeing a woman’s backside – that’s got to get an incel’s underwear in a wad, am I right? Well who had “bare ass” on their Met Gala bingo card? I know I didn’t but anything is possible. But it gets weirder from here. And remember when I said “we’re gonna get weird with it”? Well of course there’s Zoe’s bare ass, but then in this corner – there’s green haired Frank Ocean! And this weird… Shrek baby doll that he was carrying with him. Seriously, WTF?

The 2021 Met Gala was held at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday, providing another occasion for rich people to dress in expensive, ostentatious costumes and show off. It's a nice distraction from rampant wealth inequality and the fact that hundreds of people are still dying from COVID-19 in the U.S. every day.

This year's Met Gala theme was "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion," yet there was a shocking dearth of guns, medical debt, or blatant racism. Instead, Hollywood's starlets graced the Met with stars, stripes, and Shrek's baby.

It's difficult to say that Frank Ocean's sickly gremlin robot infant isn't emblematic of the state of the nation, but it also isn't the first thing anyone thinks of when they think "America" — not even Ocean himself. When asked by Vogue to explain the meaning behind the acid green child, Ocean replied, "Movie magic. America. I don't know."

Kim Kardashian showed up wearing a fancy black Balenciaga morphsuit, which may seem weird but actually makes a lot of sense. I also often wish my physical form was more of a concept than reality.
https://mashable.com/article/met-gala-2021-fashion-kardashian

Oh yeah I needed that! Keep ‘em coming! As if that wasn’t enough, there was Kim Kardashian wearing whatever the fuck this thing was, and then there was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s insanely weird and not at all political “tax the rich” dress. But then there was also hip-hop star ASAP Rocky and what was the motif for this one? Breakfast cereal? Was he eating Captain Crunch and thinking “hey! This would make for great fashion?”. But yeah like I said, weird!

ASAP Rocky stunned fans with his outfit choice for the Met Gala, 2021.
A$AP Rocky calls girlfriend Rihanna "the One" and "the love of his life"

The star sported two outfits, however his first choice is being mocked on social media.

Fans have compared the rapper to various things, making meme's out of the apparent 'blanket'.

ASAP Rocky arrived fashionably late to the MET Gala - along with superstar girlfriend, Rihanna.

The pair both opted for oversized outfits as they stepped onto the red carpet, with fans saying they looked as though they had "[brought] their duvets with them".
https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/asap-rocky/news/rihanna-met-gala-2021-outfit-red-carpet-blanket/

Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But here’s the thing – in the Met Gala every year they have a theme. This year the theme is “In America”. In America, first you get the money, then when you have the money you have the power. Then when you have the power, you have the women! Oh wait, that was Tony Montana in “Scarface”. But here’s the twist – how do you keep the theme without being overtly political? You really can’t!

following the surreal camp theme of 2019 and the cancellation of the event in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the met gala 2021 is back. held last night at new york’s metropolitan museum of art, the event’s theme was ‘in america: a lexicon of fashion’, inviting guests to explore ‘american independence’. with such a free theme, the red carpet was full of surprises, with celebrities going completely incognito like kim kardashian in an unusual ensemble by demna gvasalia, or american politician and activist alexandria ocasio-cortez with a political message scribbled in red on her white gown.

the costume institute also announced a two-part met gala for 2021 and 2022. the first one — in america: a lexicon of fashion — was held yesterday, while the second part — in america: an anthology of fashion — is scheduled to happen in may 2022. organized by anna wintour and considered a fundraiser for the metropolitan museum of art’s costume institute, the star-studded event saw celebrities, and for the first time influencers, rock the red carpet in both weird and wonderful outfits. this year’s met gala was co-chaired by billie eilish, naomi osaka, timothée chalamet and amanda gorman, all under 30.

attendees to the met gala 2021 interpreted the ‘in america: a lexicon of fashion’ theme in different ways. from the celebration of iconic american celebrities, to highlighting pop culture moments or historical trends, the theme also saw people commenting on political and social events that happened during the pandemic.
https://www.designboom.com/design/met-gala-2021-in-america-09-14-2021/

[font size="8"]Road To Recall: The Results
[br] [/font] [br]

We did it everybody! Gavin Newsom survives the recall but the damage has been done. Was it sending a message to MAGA? You bet! Was it a colossal waste of time, money and resources? You bet! Can we stop the next one? Hopefully! Where am I going with this line of questioning? I have absolutely no idea whatsoever! But the point is, MAGA didn’t just get their asses handed to them on a silver platter, that was an epic beatdown. Think of it like your high school football team playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yeah it’s that kind of beat down. Here’s the lesson that is to be learned for the MAGAs – don’t mess with Texas you say? Well don’t fuck with California! Because you know that you’re not going to win! Yeah I know that I am gloating way too much about this, but you know what? Fuck it. I feel like my team won the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, and the Larry O’Brien Trophy combined! OK maybe it’s not that big of a win but still.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday emphatically defeated a recall aimed at kicking him out of office early, a contest the Democrat framed as part of a national battle for his party’s values in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and continued threats from “Trumpism.”

Newsom bolted to a quick victory boosted by healthy turnout in the overwhelmingly Democratic state. He cast it as a win for his handling of the pandemic and liberal issues, and it ensures the nation’s most populous state will remain in Democratic control as a laboratory for progressive policies.

“‘No’ is not the only thing that was expressed tonight,” Newsom said. “I want to focus on what we said ‘yes’ to as a state: We said yes to science, we said yes to vaccines, we said yes to ending this pandemic.”

With an estimated two-thirds of ballots counted, “no” on the question of whether to recall Newsom was ahead by a 30-point margin. That lead was built on votes cast by mail and in advance of Tuesday’s in-person balloting, with a strong showing by Democrats. While likely to shrink somewhat in the days ahead as votes cast at polling places are counted, Newsom’s lead couldn’t be overcome.
https://apnews.com/article/california-recall-results-gavin-newsom-a590782877be099d44f1766b2d138394

OK I’m rolling again. But really we must cherish every single victory we get while we can get it, and it is sweet isn’t it? But now that Gov. Newsom thwacked the bug known as the MAGA cult, how does he respond? By getting back to work doing what he does best – showing leadership and competence in leading this state out of the many crises we are currently facing. So let’s do it and again show that we are better than the MAGA cult! Grace and dignity vs insanity and conspiracy theories? I know which one I would choose!

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has defeated an attempt to oust him from office, overcoming Republican criticism of COVID-19 restrictions that shuttered schools and businesses.

“I’m humbled and grateful to the millions and millions that exercised their fundamental right to vote and express themselves so overwhelmingly by rejecting the division, by rejecting the cynicism, by rejecting so much of the negativity that’s defined our politics in this country over the course of so many years,” Newsom said following the election.

He said today's vote was a "yes" to science, vaccines and an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, Newsom became the second governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election. He framed the race as an epic struggle to protect California’s progressive values on climate change, immigration and abortion and women’s rights from far-right extremists and followers of former President Donald Trump.
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/politics/elections/california-recall-updates/103-17a01ccd-9b76-4f79-bfac-8a48e0894c76

Damn right I’m rolling! And you know what? The margin of victory is way too high for you to be able to scream voter fraud! How’s that holding up on your end of the 2020 election? Oh and your attempts to flip my state towards the dark side? Ain’t gonna happen! Shit, even the rural farmers in Alpine, Tulare, and Kern County couldn’t save you this time! Nor could the MAGA cult in Huntington Beach! So yeah Newsom got saved this time around!

California's recall election played out along established partisan lines, according to a California exit poll conducted for CNN and other news networks by Edison Research, with voters' views on Gov. Gavin Newsom closely tied to their broader political views. In a state as blue as California, that was enough for Newsom to survive a Republican-backed recall effort and remain in office, CNN projected Tuesday.

About 45% of voters in the recall described themselves as Democrats, with about one-quarter calling themselves Republicans and roughly 3 in 10 describing themselves as independents. Democrats and Republicans broke overwhelmingly along party lines on the recall, while those independents who voted were about evenly split.

A 57% majority of voters approved of Newsom's job performance. There was an intensity gap, with more strongly disapproving than strongly approving. Voters' views on whether the Democratic governor is in touch with Californians like them closely mirrored his overall approval numbers.

About half of voters had a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while just about one-third had a favorable view of the Republican Party. Those with favorable views of only the Democrats were nearly unanimous in their opposition to the recall, with those favoring only the Republican Party similarly overwhelming in voting for Newsom's ouster. Voters with negative views of both parties -- about 13% of the electorate -- broke largely in favor of the recall.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/california-recall-exit-polls/index.html

?noredirect

So now all of the gloating out of the way and getting back to some sort of seriousness, how do you prevent the next attempt at a power grab? The recall election has shown that CA is permanently blue and will probably stay that way for many years to come. And the MAGAs’ pathetic attempts at a partisan power grab are extremely laughable at best. But there are steps that we can take to make sure they won’t try this again – and we must take them now! Tomorrow might be too late!

In the end, California’s recall amounted to a $276 million exercise that dealt state Republicans a blow heading into next year’s elections.

Gov. Gavin Newsom resoundingly defeated the recall attempt Tuesday night by a margin wider than thought possible a month ago, landing on a winning message that energized his base while he laid the groundwork for 2022 voter outreach in battleground areas as he is up for reelection.

Republicans must quickly regroup and assess their chances at defeating a newly emboldened Newsom at the same time they strategize to score wins in congressional and downballot races.

The recall gave rise to conservative talk-show host Larry Elder’s political career, and he is now the California Republican Party's flag-bearer less than nine months before the June primary. Elder drew more than five times as many votes as his nearest Republican rival, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, in the initial vote tally.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/15/california-recall-future-elections-newsom-512041

[font size="4"]Next Week:[/font]

Next week, we’re taking a look at recall fever gripping the nation! California may be done, but the GOP, Qs, and MAGAs aren’t done with us yet!

[font size="8"]And Now This:[/font]
[font size="8”]The Zappa Band [/font]

Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest is the only official and authorized Frank Zappa tribute band out there, they just wrapped a tour with King Crimson in support of Zappa ’88: The Last Show. Playing the FZ classic “Zomby Woof”, give it up for the Zappa Band!

Thank you Burbank! And I want to thank Flappers especially for putting up with us the last year, you guys rule! We’re off to Houston and the Houston Improv next. Wait, who scheduled that one? See you next week!

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About Top 10 Idiots

This is the official DU account for the new format Top 10 Conservative Idiots separate from the host account Initech. The new format Top 10 will launch June 13th, 2018 and all posts related to the Top 10 (promos, etc) will be posted from this account only. The Top 10 is posted once a week on Thursdays at 2:00 PM. There is a full archive of all past, present and future Top 10 editions that can be found here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218599098\ Announcements for our current season schedule are posted in our Best Of editions that appear at the end of each season. Updates are posted regularly on the official Top 10 Mastodon account and the official Holy Shit Mastodon account. The Mastodon accounts are used to announce what's going to be in next week's edition, new content, advertising our segments, and so on. This account will post official Top 10 editions, and any related content including our spinoff series: Holy Shit The Sunday Sermons. If you wish to contact the Top 10 you may do so here: E-mail (all questions, concerns, suggestions, and hate mail welcome): Top10ConIdiots@gmail.com Follow the Top 10 on Mastodon: Top10ConIdiots@mstdn.party Follow The Holy Church Of The Top 10 on Mastodon: ChurchOfTop10@mstdn.party **This account will ONLY be used to post official Idiots editions, promos, and things related to the Top 10. No other posts will come from this account** Top 10 Wiki: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211322508

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