This Is the Week That Was. Marie: What we have seen is a confluence of an emboldened dictator, his henchman, the capitulators, and other enablers, including officials and a huge segment of the public. The result is that we no longer live in a democracy. ~~~
~~~ Irie Sentner & Ben Johansen of Politico: “... Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that networks should lose their broadcast licenses if their on-air talent is critical of him. 'They’re giving me all this bad press, and they’re getting a license,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr should go after other talk show hosts after Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from the air. 'I would think maybe their license should be taken away.' He added: 'When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump, that’s all they do — that license, they’re not allowed to do that. They’re an arm of the Democrat Party.'... Earlier Thursday, when asked if the FCC — an independent agency over which Trump has unprecedented sway — would target NBC late night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, Carr said on CNBC: 'We’ll see how this plays out.... We’re in the midst of a massive shift in dynamics in the media ecosystem for lots of reasons, including the permission structure that President Trump’s election has provided,' Carr added. 'And I would simply say, we’re not done yet with seeing the consequences of that shift.'”
I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.... I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter! -- Donald Trump on Truth Social ~~~
~~~ Robin Pennacchia of Wonkette gives some attention to this matter: “There are many problems with this. First, there is no such organization as 'Antifa.' Second, no one is funding 'Antifa.' Third, there is no actual mechanism in federal law to designate a group as a domestic terrorist group or to explicitly charge someone with committing or supporting domestic terrorism (as there is for foreign terrorist groups).... The fact is, it’s scary even if he can’t do that, because there are a whole lot of people out there who think he can, and the more they are willing to accept that, the more likely it will be that he will someday have that power.”
Luis Ferré-SadurnÃ, et al., of the New York Times: “Federal officers arrested 11 Democratic elected officials inside a federal building in Lower Manhattan on Thursday after the officials demanded access to cells used by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to detain migrants. The officials, including Brad Lander, the city comptroller, and city and state lawmakers, were arrested after they showed up at 26 Federal Plaza and sought to inspect the 10th-floor holding cells, which are operated by ICE and closed to the public. The cells have drawn scrutiny following complaints of unsanitary and overcrowded conditions, leading a federal judge to order ICE to improve the conditions last month.
“At about the same time, another group of Democratic elected officials was arrested after the officials joined about 40 protesters outside 26 Federal Plaza attempting to block the garage doors typically used by ICE as it moves vans carrying detained immigrants. The arrested officials, including Jumaane D. Williams, the public advocate, sat down on the ground, chanting for the release of everyone in ICE custody.” Here's the City's report. Thanks to Akhilleus for the link.
Ann Marimow of the New York Times: “The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow the president to remove Lisa Cook as a Federal Reserve governor, setting up a key test of presidential power with potentially huge economic consequences.”
Courtney Kube of NBC News: “Pentagon leaders are considering a new recruiting campaign that would encourage young people to honor the legacy of assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk by joining the military, according to two officials familiar with the planning. The idea would be to frame the recruiting campaign as a national call to service, the officials said. Possible slogans that Pentagon leaders have discussed include 'Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors,' according to the officials.” Thanks to RAS for the link and for this comment: “After sidelining all the minorities and women they will need replacements. Might as well be the whiney and aggrieved racist white boys that followed Kirk.”
Gregory Svirnovskiy of Politico: “Barack Obama on Thursday condemned the Trump administration for its actions in the lead-up to Disney’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night comedy show.... 'After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,' Obama wrote in a post on X on Thursday morning,... 'This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it,' Obama wrote, linking to a New York Times report that detailed the Washington Post’s firing of Karen Attiah, a columnist who said she was let go for her social media activity following [Charlie] Kirk’s killing.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Don't think Trump & Co. are limiting coercion to U.S. media & other U.S. institutions. ~~~
~~~ Sarah Keszler of News7 (Australia) (Sept. 16): “... Donald Trump has lashed out at an Australian reporter..., telling the journalist he was 'hurting Australia' and that he would tell Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about it in their next visit. ABC [Australian Broadcasting Corp.] journalist John Lyons was on the White House lawn as Trump took questions ahead of his visit to the United Kingdom when Lyons asked..., 'Is it appropriate, President Trump, that a president in office should be engaged in so much business activity?'... Trump said he was 'really not' engaged with the businesses because 'my kids are running the business'. The president went on to ask the Washington-based journalist where he was from. 'In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me,' Trump said. 'You know, your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I’m going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone.' When the journalist attempted to ask the president another question, Trump cut him off, telling him 'quiet'.”
Jennifer Rubin of the Contrarian: “Just because the authoritarian Trump regime is incompetent does not mean it is any less dangerous. To the contrary, Trump minions’ carelessness, inexperience, and ignorance often make them more destructive in a democracy that should run on facts, stability, and the rule of law.” After citing numerous, convincing examples of stupid authoritarian moves that were worse than clever authoritarian actions, Rubin writes, “All this reminds us that the boast of autocrats — More effective and efficient than democracy, not weighed down by messy laws and ethics! — is the very thing that makes their regimes weak and brittle.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Today we live in a repressive, oppressive dictatorship. No one is safe. ~~~
~~~⭐John KoblinABC announced on Wednesday evening that it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show 'indefinitely' after conservatives accused the longtime host of inaccurately describing the politics of the man who is accused of fatally shooting the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The abrupt decision by the network, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, came hours after the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, assailed Mr. Kimmel and suggested that his regulatory agency might take action against ABC because of remarks the host made on his Monday telecast.... [Donald] Trump, in a social media post from Windsor Castle in Britain..., described it as 'Great News for America.' The decision to suspend 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' was made by Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, and Dana Walden, the company’s television chief, according to two people....” This is an update of a story linked yesterday evening.
~~~ Here's Brian Stelter of CNN, speaking yesterday evening: ~~~
~~~ Brian Stelter, et al., of CNN: “... FCC chair Brendan Carr told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday ... that his FCC could move to revoke ABC affiliate licenses as a way to force Disney to punish Kimmel. 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way,' Carr said. 'These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.' Carr added that the broadcasters, including ABC, 'have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.' Elsewhere in the interview, Carr attacked Kimmel as 'talentless' and suggested the late-night comedian’s comments displayed 'some sort of desperate irrelevance.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: BTW, the other day I linked this item: Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump openly threatened ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl when Karl grilled him about the threatened crackdown on so-called 'hate speech.'...” “We’ll probably go after people like you,” Trump said to Karl. Is it a coincidence that Trump threatened ABC News' chief correspondent and the next day Trump's hand-picked FCC chair threatened to pull the licenses of ABC affiliates because its top entertainment star dared to exercise his free speech? I doubt it. ~~~
~~~ Marie: CBS's cancellation of Stephen Colbert's show was terrible. But one could put a gloss on it by viewing it as a "business decision"; CBS needed something from the government -- approval of a merger -- so it gave something to the government: a critic's head on a platter. ABC/Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel solely because the government threatened the network. ABC gets nothing. It's 100% intimidation. ~~~
~~~ Selome Hailu of Variety: “Media conglomerate Sinclair will replace the Friday timeslot of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' with a Charlie Kirk tribute special on its ABC affiliate stations — and is offering the special to all other ABC stations across the country. In addition, the company is demanding that Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and send 'a meaningful personal donation' to them as well as Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded that advocates for conservative politics in high schools and colleges. Sinclair, one of the U.S.’s large TV station owners, has long had a reputation for having a politically conservative tilt.” ~~~
~~~ Mike Masnick of TechDirt: “... almost all of the reporting on what’s happened claims that Disney pulled talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s show 'indefinitely' over comments that Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk. But that leads most people to assume that Kimmel said something unkind about Kirk or in some way celebrated his death. But he did not.... In context, Kimmel’s statements were quite benign. But that didn’t stop FCC boss Brendan Carr — who spent years pretending to be a 'First Amendment warrior' — from going on yet another MAGA podcast and claiming that Disney could 'lose its license' over this. Carr claimed that there was a 'concerted effort to lie' about the shooter, which is just a total misrepresentation of reality.... Carr’s threat was pretty explicit[.]... So here we have a government official coercing private parties to punish or suppress disfavored speech. This is literally what the (... unanimous) Supreme Court, just months ago, said was a clear First Amendment violation[.]” Read on. ~~~
~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "The biggest reason why so many institutions keep crumbling is that the people in charge of them are fundamentally more sympathetic to Trumpism than liberal democracy." ~~~
~~~ Heather Cox Richardson posts some reactions to Kimmel's firing (fairly far down the page). Even Tucker Carlson was appalled. ~~~
~~~ See also RAS's first comment in today's thread.
Michael Birnbaum, et al., of the Washington Post: “A week after the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk..., Donald Trump and his allies are attacking critics of the right-wing activist who they say have gone too far, a campaign that detractors described as an alarming attempt to curtail one of the nation’s most hallowed civil liberties: freedom of expression.... The effort represents a significant departure for the conservative movement, whose leaders for years have painted themselves as champions of free speech opposing a culture of liberal censorship.... Even before Kirk’s killing, the Trump administration was taking steps to police speech by people and groups it disagreed with.” ~~~
~~~ Vaughn Hillyard, et al., of NBC News: "The [Trump] administration is putting together plans to take action against left-wing groups that ... Donald Trump and his allies accuse of fomenting political violence, according to three people familiar with discussions.... One of the sources said the moves could come as early as the end of the month.... The actions ... are expected to include investigations into the tax-exempt status of certain liberal organizations.... Trump said on 'Fox & Friends' last week that he wanted to launch a racketeering probe of groups funded by billionaire George Soros.... Trump later told NBC News that Soros 'should be put in jail.' As the guest host of 'The Charlie Kirk Show' on Monday, Vice President JD Vance said the administration would look into the Soros-founded Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation....
"Federal law prohibits the president and the vice president from ordering inquiries into groups' tax status, and neither Trump nor Vance has presented evidence linking those groups to Kirk's death. But the administration argues that it resulted from what White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller called 'a vast domestic terror network' funded by liberal philanthropists."
Trevor Hunnicutt, et al., of USA Today, republished by Yahoo! News: "... Donald Trump on Sept. 17 signaled new action against groups following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, targeting the anti-fascist antifa movement as a 'terrorist organization.' Trump said on Truth Social that he was 'designating' the movement as a terrorist organization. 'I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices,' Trump wrote. It was not clear what legal weight Trump's proclamation carried. Antifa is a loosely organized ideological movement without a clear leadership structure or hierarchy, experts said."
Here's a video of a portion of a sermon by Howard-John Wesley that RAS & Akhilleus would like us to hear. The Reverend Doctor does have a point: ~~~akaWendy figured Trump must be taking notices for his glorious ballroom when he saw all the gilding in St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle where he had dinner tonight. Some of that gold may date to the 14th century, though most of it is probably new because the hall -- including that gilded ceiling -- was lost or severely damaged in a 1992 fire. So Trump could copy it! ~~~
~~~ Adam Downer of the Daily Beast, republished by Yahoo! News: “Donald Trump confused onlookers with a bizarre speech to King Charles III and guests at Wednesday evening’s state dinner that included factual errors about the number of U.S presidents who have ... [visited] Windsor Castle. 'It is a privilege to be the first American president welcomed here,' said Trump, 79. 'And if you think about it, a lot of presidents, and this was this was the second state visit and that is the first. Maybe that is going to be the last time — I hope it is, actually.'... Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden all visited Windsor Castle during their presidencies. Trump himself took tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in July of 2018.” ~~~
~~~ Shawn McCreesh & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Donald “Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, were greeted by the British royal family on Wednesday at Windsor Castle outside London, beginning a two-day state visit swaddled in the kind of pomp and grandeur that so pleases this president.” That's the lede to the pinned item (at 11:30 am ET) on NYT's liveblog of developments in the most ridiculous of "royal" visits. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Here's today's New York Times liveblog of Trump's mini-tour of the sights around London. Here are the AP's live updates. ~~~
~~~ Ben Rhodes in a New York Times op-ed: Donald “Trump’s visit to Britain was designed to flatter with imperial imagery: Windsor Castle, a carriage ride, flyovers, a glimpse at the Churchill archives at Chequers, the prime minister’s country estate. This pageantry veiled the reality that Britain is no longer the superpower of these symbols, and that Mr. Trump is widely disliked in the country.... Yet underneath the surface, both the United States and Britain are suffering through crises of identity. For two centuries, London and Washington were the seats of empire, the vanguard of the West, the proselytizers of liberal democracy.... Post-Brexit Britain should offer a cautionary tale to America about the dangers of isolationism dressed up as exceptionalism. Separated from Europe, the value of British citizenship has shrunk. Growth has stagnated. And the social welfare state has continued to depend upon migrant labor.”
Colby Smith of the New York Times: “The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday as officials signaled that two more cuts could follow this year in light of rising risks confronting the labor market. The decision to lower borrowing costs for the first time since December shifts interest rates to a range of 4 to 4.25 percent. The decision was not unanimously supported, the second straight meeting that featured at least one dissent from a member of the Board of Governors. Stephen Miran..., [Donald] Trump’s pick to join the Fed who was sworn in just minutes before the start of the central bank’s two-day meeting on Tuesday, voted in favor of a half-point reduction.... [Fed Chair Jerome] Powell repeatedly dodged questions related to Mr. Miran, [board governor Lisa] Cook and the administration’s broader efforts to pressure the central bank. He downplayed Mr. Miran’s influence at the central bank, saying he was just one of 19 policymakers involved in the policy debates. He also declined to comment directly on Ms. Cook’s lawsuit against the president.”
Sheryl Stolberg & Megan Mineiro of the New York Times: “The former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told a Senate panel on Wednesday that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., called C.D.C. employees 'corrupt' and accused them of 'killing children' during a tense private meeting with her the week before she was fired. In a sometimes contentious hearing before the Senate health committee, Dr. Susan Monarez told senators she was fired 'for holding the line on scientific integrity.' She said she refused Mr. Kennedy’s demands to fire top C.D.C. scientists and to sign off on vaccine recommendations issued by his handpicked advisory panel without seeing the data or science underlying them. Dr. Monarez painted a picture of the health secretary as a man wedded to his own ideology and uninterested in government scientists. She said Mr. Kennedy tried to prevent her from talking to career C.D.C. experts or communicating with senators, and insisted that decisions be routed through political appointees.” ~~~
~~~ Never Mind. Hannah Grabenstein of PBS News: "Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., questioned former CDC Director Susan Monarez at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday about her firing, accusing her of being untrustworthy and lying about a conversation she had with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [Mullin said,] 'It was a recorded meeting....'... Mullin later clarified to reporters that he was mistaken and that Monarez and Kennedy’s meeting was not recorded. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., later addressed Mullin’s allegation, saying if there is a recording, it should be accessible by the full committee. If there isn’t a recording, he added, Mullin should retract his line of questioning."
⭐Lena Sun & David Ovalle of the Washington Post: “For people 65 or older considering getting a new covid shot, this week might be the best opportunity to get vaccinated without complications before a federal vaccine advisory committee’s scheduled Friday vote to issue recommendations. That’s because that panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, has been weighing revisions to coronavirus vaccine recommendations that could make it more difficult for seniors to access the shots as soon as this weekend, according to several people familiar with their deliberations.”
Michael Bender of the New York Times: “The Trump administration announced on Wednesday the launch of a civics education coalition that includes the Education Department and more than 40 partner groups, all of which are closely aligned with the president’s Make America Great Again movement. One of the groups is the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned nonprofit where Education Secretary Linda McMahon worked before joining the president’s cabinet. An Education Department spokeswoman said that no federal funds were being spent on the coalition and that Ms. McMahon had signed an ethics waiver, allowing her to participate despite the conflict of interest.... The civics coalition is part of the administration’s planning for America’s 250th anniversary next year.... But instead of relying on traditional civic education groups..., Ms. McMahon turned to the America First Policy Institute, a group created to promote Mr. Trump’s policy agenda.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Clearly, this isn't about civics education; it's about propaganda. In light of today's news, we can no longer pretend we are not living in the shade of Joseph Goebbels.
Justin Baragona of the Independent: “Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) is now proposing that transgender people be mass institutionalized because 'this is a cancer that's spreading across this country' and we 'have to get them off the streets,' all while claiming that trans women 'have an underlying level of aggressiveness.' The MAGA lawmaker’s remarks come as conservatives are ramping up their anti-transgender rhetoric in the wake of the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, whose alleged shooter has a roommate and romantic partner who is currently transitioning genders.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Besides being monumentally stupid, Doctor Jackson's proposal has nothing to do with the facts in the case. The alleged shooter is not transgender. Authorities have asserted and given evidence that his partner -- the transgender person -- was horrified by Kirk's murder and has been cooperating with law enforcement.
Kadia Goba of the Washington Post: “A resolution to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) over comments and a social media repost she made regarding conservative leader Charlie Kirk’s death failed Wednesday. The resolution was introduced under special rules by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) on Monday, fast-tracking it to a floor vote. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts) introduced a motion to table — essentially, to dismiss — the resolution Wednesday. The motion to table succeeded by a vote of 214-213, with four Republicans — Reps. Mike Flood (Nebraska), Jeff Hurd (Colorado), Tom McClintock (California) and Cory Mills (Florida) — voting with Democrats. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Goba doesn't say so, but Cory Mills had an ulterior motive in voting to table. As we learned yesterday from Andrew Solender of Axios: "A House Democrat responded Tuesday to GOP efforts to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) by forcing his own vote to censure Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.).... Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced a measure that would censure Mills.... The Mills resolution centers on reports and allegations of domestic violence and sexual misconduct, stolen valor, making false financial disclosures and committing campaign finance violations...."
Erica Orden of Politico: “An immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., deported to Syria or Algeria for failing to disclose certain information on his green card application, according to documents filed in federal court Wednesday by his lawyers. Khalil’s lawyers suggested in a filing that they intend to appeal the deportation order, but expressed concern that the appeal process will likely be swift and unfavorable. The order from the immigration judge, Jamee Comans, came despite a separate order in Khalil’s federal case in New Jersey blocking his deportation while that court considers Khalil’s legal argument that his detention and deportation are unlawful retaliation for his Palestinian advocacy. Khalil’s March 8 arrest and subsequent detention in Louisiana was part of the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on foreign-born pro-Palestinian academics who were studying or working in the U.S. legally. Khalil, a former Columbia graduate student who helped organize campus protests, was arrested at his Manhattan residence and put into deportation proceedings. He has not been charged with a crime.” MB: That is, at its core, this is an abridgement-of-free-speech case, too.
Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: “A New York State judge this week ruled that Rudolph W. Giuliani must pay more than $1.3 million to lawyers who represented him in numerous criminal investigations stemming from his work for ... [Donald] Trump. The ruling by the judge, Arthur F. Engoron, was the latest of many legal and financial misfortunes to befall Mr. Giuliani, the 81-year-old former New York City mayor.... The Tuesday ruling by Justice Engoron came in a particularly painful proceeding for the former mayor. It was the result of a 2023 lawsuit filed by Mr. Giuliani’s former lawyer and friend Robert J. Costello, and Mr. Costello’s former law firm, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron.”
You Can Put a Man in a Suit, But You Can't Make It Fit. Yan Zhuang & Claire Moses of the New York Times: “One of Ben & Jerry’s founders, Jerry Greenfield, has resigned from the ice cream company, saying that its independence had been lost and its social activism 'silenced' under the control of its parent company, Unilever. Mr. Greenfield’s business partner, Ben Cohen, announced the move on social media early Wednesday. The decision comes after years of increasing tension between Unilever, which acquired the ice cream company in 2000, and the Ben & Jerry’s founders, who have long been outspoken on social issues. 'I never thought I would have to write this, but after 47 years Jerry has made the difficult decision to stand down from the company we built together,' Mr. Cohen wrote on Instagram, along with a statement from Mr. Greenfield. In his statement, Mr. Greenfield said he could no longer 'in good conscience' remain at the company he started with Mr. Cohen in 1978.” The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~~~~~~~~
Pennsylvania. Campbell Robertson & Pooja Salhotra of the New York Times: “Three police officers were fatally shot and two others were seriously injured on Wednesday while trying to serve a warrant in a rural part of York County, Pa., state police officials said. The two who were injured in the shooting were in critical but stable condition at an area hospital, the Pennsylvania State Police commissioner, Col. Christopher Paris, said at a news conference Wednesday evening. Colonel Paris said that the shooter was fatally shot by the police.” An NBC News story is here.
39 comments:
The Wrap
"Sinclair Says Jimmy Kimmel Suspension ‘Is Not Enough,’ Demands Apology, Turning Point Donations
The Company plans to air a Charlie Kirk remembrance special in Kimmel’s timeslot on Friday"
They want to blackmail Kimmel into helping fund the hate, bigotry and cruelty that Kirk and TPUSA spew out into the world. Another way to humiliate their enemies by trying to make them complicit in the evil these people create and betray their moral code and break their spirit. Too many people in positions of power no longer had those morals and jumped in with Trump and MAGA. That just encouraged them to push farther and harder until they come to people who do have morals and actually care about more than just their own selfish desires. Now the Right is ready to try to break those who would actually stand up to them. The majority of ABC and Disney executives were never going to stand in the Right's way. They long ago made their many compromises until nothing was left and they have no desire to rediscover their former souls. So down the ladder they went until they meet residence. I hope Kimmel holds his ground. I hope enough people on our side make it hurt for all the collaborators. We can't hurt them financially themselves most of the time, but their identities and self worth is so interconnected with their work that we can sometimes make them suffer and back down by hitting their egos. The Right has weaponized boycotts and stock prices. We need to do the same. Not all of them have internalized the trick of shamelessness. We must use all the tools still available to us to punish those that are causing harm to so many. And stand with those who resist.
Ta-Nehisi Coates
"Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause
By ignoring the rhetoric and actions of the Turning Point USA founder, pundits and politicians are sanitizing his legacy.
The mentions of “debate” and “engagement” are references to Kirk’s campus tours, during which he visited various colleges to take on whoever come may. That this aspect of Kirk’s work would be so attractive to writers and politicians is understandable. There is, after all, a pervasive worry, among the political class, that college students, ensconced in their own bubbles, could use a bit of shock therapy from a man unconcerned with preferred pronouns, trigger warnings, and the humanity of Palestinians. But it also shows how the political class’s obsession with universities blinds it to everything else. And the everything-else of Kirk’s politics amounted to little more than a loathing of those whose mere existence provoked his ire."
Maybe This Time
"President Trump announced Wednesday that he will designate antifa as a terrorist organization, and is recommending investigations into people who allegedly fund it.
Mr. Trump made a similar announcement that antifa would be designated as a terrorist group during his first term in 2020, when the country was gripped by turbulent protests, but never followed through on the threat."
Inhumanity and Callousness
"Vance on Trump's strikes on boats: "I wouldn't go fishing right now in that area of the world.""
Wikipedia
"Why Right-Wing Outlets Attacked Wikipedia After Charlie Kirk’s Shooting
Over the past week, conservative media have turned up their fury toward the free encyclopedia to a degree rarely seen in its 24-year history.
Those are predictable villains in MAGA’s long-running culture war. Less obvious is the latest addition to the roster of enemies: Wikipedia. Utah Sen. Mike Lee went so far as to post on X on Friday that “when it comes to Charlie Kirk, they’ve gone out of their way to put the ‘wicked’ in Wikipedia.”
There’s something deeper at work than merely creating pieces for hate clicks. These attacks aren’t legitimate efforts to describe how Charlie and Erika Kirk are portrayed on Wikipedia. The point of the right-wing stories is to delegitimize Wikipedia itself, undermining the project’s effort to archive facts using reliable sources. Because the endgame for Wikipedia’s bad-faith attackers is post-truth. The political subordination of reality."
The Marvelous Mrs. Measles
"Hundreds Of Former 'Gator Gulag' Prisoners Can't Be Found, Is That Bad? - Wonkette
As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined. […]
Around 800 detainees showed no record on ICE’s online database. More than 450 listed no location and only instructed the user to “Call ICE for details”
More attacks on Wikipedia free speech...
Heritage Foundation Nazis are using sophisticated tools to
identify, dox, and harass Wikipedia editors and contributors.
Heritage has demanded the names and addresses of Wikipedia editors for purposes of ensuring that ideologically approved information is reaching the public. The excuse is "antisemitism", which has become the go-to, blanket cover for MAGA snoops who wish to go after their enemies.
And just in case Heritage can't bully Wikipedia into outing these people, now we have noted (*cough-cough*) "free speech warriors" (ahem), Jim Comer and Nancy Mace investigating Wikipedia "bias".
They're going after everyone.
"Last month, the Jewish-American news site Forward reported a shocking scoop: The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025, is planning to 'identify and target' Wikipedia editors. Through analyzing text patterns, usernames, and technical data and employing social-engineering tactics, Heritage aimed to reveal the identities of anonymous Wikipedia editors it believes are 'abusing their position' on the platform."
Sophisticated tools are being brought into play to find and out and potentially destroy Wikipedia contributors accused by the MAGA police of "bias".
"...If [Heritage] succeeds in its effort to identify and target editors, the consequences could be profound. Faced with the risk of harassment or real-world retaliation, many volunteer editors—especially those covering politically sensitive topics—may simply stop contributing. Those who remain are likely to be the most ideologically driven voices, further eroding Wikipedia’s stated goal of neutrality.
The free encyclopedia will become too toxic to sustain."
But then, that's the goal, right?
More on Heritage's attacks on Wikipedia...
When in Beijing....(from the article linked above)
"The Heritage Foundation’s threats recall the methods used by pro–Chinese Communist Party editors in 2021, when a group called Wikimedians of Mainland China specifically targeted Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists. These Chinese nationalist editors were displeased with the way the Hong Kong editors were documenting the protests against Beijing’s rule. Rather than continuing the discussion on Wikipedia’s talk pages (places for editors to chat with one another and debate proposed changes), the pro-CCP editors resorted to doxing and reporting their opponents’ real-life identities to the state police, leading some Hong Kong editors to be physically harmed. It seems that both the CCP and Heritage believe that if you can’t win an argument in the digital space of Wikipedia, it’s fair game to destroy that person’s life offline."
The MAGA wahy
Anyone who doesn't think this is a cult is not paying attention.
FCC Chair, Brendan Carr, has for years been a staunch enemy of free speech, while masquerading as the opposite. But in Carr's case, his fealty is not just to MAGA style destruction of those whose opinions are not approved by the cult, it's to the Dear Leader hisself.
"There are golden lapel pins, and then there are loyalty pledges masquerading as innocent golden lapel pins.
FCC chairman Brendan Carr recently chose the latter — slapping a golden pin of Donald Trump’s head on his suit jacket like he was auditioning to lead the Ministry of MAGA Propaganda (and let’s not give Trump any ideas).
Carr posed for the camera in the halls of Congress, right beneath the official House seal, proudly showing off the pin where most policymakers typically display the American flag — a silent swap that put symbolism over substance while highlighting the shameless fealty shown to Trump, especially by appointees and members of his Cabinet."
What's next for the FCC, threatening to pull the licenses of broadcasters who refuse to spew North Korea-style encomiums to the wonderfulness of the Dear Leader?
We already have state approved media (Faux), but now broadcasters who don't toe the MAGA line are all on notice that any hint of criticism or deviation from approved ideology will be met with the axe.
None of this is legal, of course, but if you're waiting for the Supine Court to weigh in and support the Constitution, here's a 2035 calendar. Mark off a date sometime in June of that year.
Here's the link for that pic of that FCC assshole with his Trump pin.
Remember when Fat Hitler posted this picture of President Biden tied up, being kidnapped and taken away?
I guess that was all in fun. No political violence inherent in that.
Murc's Law corollary: Democrats Must Behave
So yesterday, I heard an interview on NPR in which some guy was saying that Democrats in California should not be gerrymandering like those bastard MAGAts in Texas. His point was that Democrats should be better than that, they shouldn't resort to MAGA tricks.
Okay, in a different time and place, I'd probably agree, all things being equal. But things are not equal. We are in a war. These fuckers are out to KILL us.
I applaud Gavin Newsome's attempt to thwart Fatty's scheme to hold on to power no matter what. And here's the other thing. The new district maps in California are time limited for the next 18 months or so. After that, new maps can be drawn again. The Texas ratfucking is permanent.
It's probably not politically correct to quote Bill Cosby, but one of his old routines makes this point succinctly.
He did a bit about the coin toss at the beginning of football games in which captains of each team get to call heads or tails, the winning team getting to decide whether to go on offense or defense. The idea was to extend the coin toss to the start of battles.
Here's one.
Captain of the British and Captain of the Americans. Okay, boys, call it. Captain of the Americans calls heads. (flips coin) It's heads. Okay, what do you want to do?
Okay. Captain of the British, the Americans say their boys get to hide behind rocks and trees, wear any color clothes they want and shoot at you at any time they want. They say your boys have to wear red and march in a straight line.
And that's what this moron is suggesting. I'm all for NOT wearing red and marching in straight line so the MAGAts can pick us off at their leisure.
Fuck that.
Can't Process
Rebecca Solnit on Meditations in an Emergency, noted that that yesterday, and just in time for Constitution Day-
The War on Truth Heats Up
"Hannah Arendt famously wrote, “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the standards of thought) no longer exist.”"
The Robert Iger version of Donald Duck's Der Fuehrer's Face would have him never waking up from his Nazi nightmare.
CT Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who serves as ranking member of the House Appropriations Commitee, in The American Prospect, describes how OMB Director Russ Vought broke the law and hides the truth
"The Vought agenda is Project 2025. Vought was the lead author of this radical manifesto, developed in secret, which embraces the starvation, and ultimately privatization, of government. In public polling, more than half of the people surveyed can see the Project 2025 agenda being carried out, even though fewer than 1 in 7 Americans support it.
It is no wonder that those who have heard of Vought’s agenda disapprove of it. Like its predecessors, it is filled with embarrassing legal theories and anti-constitutional lawbreaking and is wreaking havoc on American families. Time and again, Vought has violated the law and ignored the courts and nonpartisan government watchdogs to hide what he is doing."
Interesting that Trump's goon and their ABC lackeys/cowards silenced Jimmy Kimmel on Constitution Day. Nice, in'it?
David Sims, in The Atlantic, calls it An Escalation in Every Way
"There have already been signs that President Donald Trump’s administration is intent on punishing perceived critics in the media, no matter what complaints about free speech might arise, but the chain of events that shut down Jimmy Kimmel Live feels particularly direct. "
There is no liberal media...
CNN, among other outlets, is constantly attacked by the Fat Fascist and his thugs as being a leader of the "far left lunatic fringe". Such assaults have an effect. I just watched the clip Marie attached of Jake Tapper's interview with Brian Stelter. Three others are involved in this segment, two consultants, a D and an R, and Elie Honig, CNN's legal analyst. One thing I noticed was how careful Jake Tapper is to remain neutral. That's as it should be. CNN is not Fox, which is not a real news organization but a propaganda arm of the Trump Reich. But Tapper is noticeably nervous. He even stammers a bit at one point trying hard not to get on MAGA's radar as being a "radical left lunatic". But what really got my attention was Elie Honig's characterization of Kimmel's very anodyne quip as being "reprehensible". He says he agrees with the Republican consultant, never with the Democratic guy, who made the point that this bullshit has gone too far. Clearly it's not too far for Honig, who, even though he says the FCC is not in the business of content moderation, obviously doesn't seem too bothered by ABC's punishment of Kimmel for his "reprehensible" conduct.
This isn't just the effect of the fear and intimidation brought to bear by the Nazis. This IS CNN, which has gone out of its way to portray themselves lately as Fox Lite.
Nonetheless, the myth of a raging liberal media is still served up as a bogeyman for the fascists.
If you thought Project 2025 was bad, wait until you read about Project 2026, the plot to rig the midterms.
"The stakes for the midterms are incredibly high. It’s the last chance for Democrats to hold Trump accountable at the national level before he leaves office (unless he attempts to follow through on his musings to seek an unconstitutional third term). At the same time, nearly 100 state-level races for offices like governor, secretary of state, and attorney general are on the ballot, which will determine who’s in charge of supervising elections in 2028.
But unlike 2018, when Trump was still a political novice, or 2022, when Democrats controlled the presidency and Congress, the 2026 midterms will take place under a radicalized Trump administration that appears hellbent on crushing its opposition. “Our elections have faced an elevated level of risk for some time and now there’s one additional factor that’s going to exacerbate all the other risks, which is a weaponized federal government that might be deployed in ways that can disrupt or interfere in free and fair elections,” says Wendy Weiser of the Brennan Center for Justice. 'That’s a dramatic new factor this year.'
@Akhilleus: I noticed some time back that Honig's "analysis" almost always takes the right-wing side of legal arguments. It's not necessarily a waste of time to listen to him because his opinions are often predictive of where the Supremes will come down, but I do consider Honig a partisan less interested in advocating for legal standards than skewing them rightward.
The news of late reminds me of that 1969 film "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys."
Except lately, I can't seem to figure out who the good guys are, if there actually are
any good guys.
George Carlin Explains the FCC
Don't miss the irony of Trump signaling his vast satisfaction at the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel and proclaiming this silencing of an opponent as good for America, while he sits, surrounded by British royalty, in a castle that once was the home of King George III, the tyrannical monarch Americans once revolted against for exactly this type of action. I picture him giving the patented Queen Elizabeth royal hand wave with a pack of corgis yipping around his cankles.
Wendy,
Thanks for that shot of Carlin. Always a pick-me-up.
@Akhilleus: As you know, Elizabeth's wave showed the back of her hand to the public. So if King Donald does adopt her wave, he'll have to slather on some more makeup to cover up those odd bruises on the back of his hand.
@Akhilleus: Did you mean ankles or cankers? I think his whole body is a canker, of the
worst kind.
Westcoastman,
Nope...cankles...but you're correct, he's more like a canker. Or is that a cancer?
Military
"Military leaders consider recruiting campaign centered around Charlie Kirk
Possible slogans discussed include “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors.” There is talk of using Turning Point USA chapters as recruitment centers."
After sidelining all the minorities and women they will need replacements. Might as well be the whiney and aggrieved racist white boys that followed Kirk.
Brits helping Fat Hitler's censorship. ABC barred from press conference.
Fear and Loathing
I guess it should be loathe-ing...
Self-censorship has already kicked in. The View, a regular target for the Fat Fascist, who routinely makes fun of the hosts' physical appearance, just like a 10 year old member of the Little Brats Women Haters Club, was decidedly mum about ABC's axing of Jimmy Kimmel. Wonder why.
"Instead, they started off by chatting about another big news story, FBI Director Kash Patel’s congressional testimony, and then went on to commentary about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr....
On X today, prominent cultists are urging the FCC to next target The View."
In a Fox clip, Fatty's Minister of Propaganda and Punishment of Ideologically Impure Broadcasters sez he could be going after The View next. "It's entirely possible there are issues over there [at The View]...the consequences aren't quite finished." Heil Trump!
Because if they can get ABC to bend over and grab their ankles so easily, why not keep going? You give in to a bully, it doesn't make them go away, it only invites them to come back and kick your ass again the next day. Besides, as someone else has pointed out, it's more than likely that the Disney people are perfectly happy wearing the swastika on their $3,000 suits. "It's a fascist world after all!"
The beatings will continue until morality is completely extirpated.
Run for your lives
"Video captured the moment ICE agents tried to take a father and his two sons into custody—leaving one man in the hospital, even though he’s not in the country illegally. Family members said that the man was released from the hospital after he said he was tased in the face while being taken into federal custody.
The two brothers are U.S. citizens. Edgar Ruiz said that when the agent originally came to the passenger door, he tried holding the door closed, preventing him from opening it. He said at that time he and his family had no idea who was at the vehicle, and everyone was scared."
Short snip of David Letterman, speaking to Jeffrey Goldberg at The Atlantic Festival,
Managed Media
"“You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian—a criminal—administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works.”"
Run for your lives is right.
Now Fat Hitler's Brownshirts in ICE have arrested 11 elected officials, all Democrats in NYC. No one gets to question the MAGA Reich.
Elected officials, especially Democrats have no business investigating Fatty's thugs.
"Department of Homeland Security police officers arrested 11 local elected officials inside lower Manhattan’s federal building who had demanded access to ICE’s shadowy holding area on the building’s 10th floor.
The arrests at 26 Federal Plaza happened after an hour-long standoff, with the lawmakers refusing to leave the hallway outside the lockup, banging on the locked doors, and eventually sitting down to chant and sing before they were hauled off in zip ties."
Waldman is so good he makes me jealous, but I'll link him anyway.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-173960617
Ken,
Right you are, my friend.
Kids, if you don't have time to check out the Waldman post Ken links, here's a taste. It's absolutely right on target.
"We were right. It’s not something you’re supposed to say out loud — “I told you so” is considered uncouth. But it’s true and it needs to be said.
For the last few years — since Donald Trump made clear he was running for president again, through the end of the 2024 campaign — some of us spilled a great number of words explaining why he posed a unique and unprecedented threat to the nation and to our democracy. For that, we got all kinds of scolding, particularly when we argued that Trump was, in every meaningful way, a fascist.
Don’t be ridiculous, they said. “Trump isn't Mussolini. Virtue signaling about fascism shows liberals' ignorance,” read the headline of one October 2024 piece in USA Today. In the days before the election, the Wall Street Journal editorial board mocked “progressive panic” over what Trump might do in office, insisting that “most Americans simply don’t believe the fascist meme, and for good reasons.”
From other corners of the Washington establishment it wouldn’t be phrased quite so clearly, but the message was not too different: Let’s not exaggerate here. Joe Biden’s attempt to make the election a referendum on democracy is falling flat. You lefties are getting too worked up. Nobody thinks a second Trump presidency won’t be full of excesses, even some dangerous actions. But fascism? Come on.
Yet here we are. There can no longer be any denying that those who were ringing the alarm bells a year ago were, if anything, underestimating the danger Trump posed."
And it gets worse.
Kids, I'm tellin' ya, if anyone stays home in the midterms saying "Oh, why bother, the parties are both the same, they're all bad", they, like the farmers who voted for that fat fuck and are now on the verge of losing everything, and those red state poor people who rely on Medicaid and the ACA for their healthcare, so they don't, ya know, DIE, deserve what they get.
It's time for a full blown revolution. We need a tsunami of voters to turn out and run these Nazi pigs out of Washington.
That doesn't mean we'll be rid of them, but if we can neuter the Orange Monster (at least insofar as the Nazi Supine Court will allow), we may be able to save something out of this maelstrom of mendacity and inhumanity.
Did you guys read that bit in RAS's last post about ICE thugs going after family members here LEGALLY?????
"Family members said that the man was released from the hospital after he said he was tased in the face while being taken into federal custody."
Did you get that? TASED IN THE FACE???
Look, I've known good cops and bad in my career. I've interviewed both kinds. The real pros don't do anything like this. Tase someone IN THE FACE?
Real law enforcement officers are well trained and operate in a professional manner. Clearly these people were not dangerous, armed criminals who threatened the lives of these Fat Hitler thugs.
Cosplay Kristi, Himmler Miller, and the Orange Monster are offering a king's ransom for idiots to join their Brownshirts to go after people who aren't white and speak with a different accent than Jed Clampett. What kind of training do these fuckups get? "Go git 'em boys! Thim beaners need to git gone!"
And we are paying these guys a shitload of money.
The arc of the universe better get a move on. And tase these bastards in the ass while it's at it.
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