US Politics

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

Well, I guess we can put to bed whether or not Dilbert creator is racist. 

 

[HardCoreBlue]

On 2023-02-21 at 5:20 PM, CodyT said:

I suppose. Not to go on an off topic political rant here but I'm not sure what the democrats stand for anymore. 

Russel Brand once stirred up the news by stating that he didn't understand why people bothered to vote anymore. Apathetic to it all. If you vote one side it's corrupt, if you vote the other it's corrupt.

This is going to sound radical to some but I'm really having a tough time buying a real democratic society, especially in the USA. When you have big donors and private funds funneling money into these parties you have to really question the legitimacy. Not to mention that these politicians are just doing what they have to do to keep themselves in office. 

I should be fact checked on this but I've heard before that the party who's had the most money has won every.single.election

It's not about right or wrong it's about staying in for another 4 years. For **** sakes, look at Pelosis net worth and tell me there isn't shady dealings going on ie: insider trading.

When you have a country of 365 million people and its decided before the election that it will be either one of red or blue, then it's questionable to me. Especially when the 2 representing those parties are either a crazy man, or a man with dementia 

Like a lot of things in life it's choosing the lesser of the two (three, four five etc) evils because sometimes (alot?) the gaps between them are quite large/significant. 

[HardCoreBlue]

19 hours ago, Tracker said:

Ivanka Trump And Jared Kushner Subpoenaed In Jan. 6 Probe: Reports

The special counsel overseeing the Justice Department’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to stay in power has subpoenaed Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, according to multiple reports.

Special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law to testify before a federal grand jury about Trump’s attempt to remain president after losing the 2020 election and his role in inciting an insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The subpoena was first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by ABC News.

Based on the recent history with the effectiveness of subpoena's, this matters why?

Maybe they don't show, maybe they eventually show and plead the fifth and provide nonsensical nebulous testimony when they don't plead the fifth.

For some Senators, for Trumps family and their highly influential enablers, this seems to be a pretty sound strategy in how they continually evade accountability and responsibility for their words and behaviours. 

[bustamente]

Trump visiting Palistine for a photo op and blaming Biden is right up his alley, media continues to let him skate.

 

[Wideleft]

Who votes for these morons? (he asked knowingly)

 

 

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Well, I guess we can put to bed whether or not Dilbert creator is racist. 

 

Also big time Trump supporter.

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Based on the recent history with the effectiveness of subpoena's, this matters why?

Maybe they don't show, maybe they eventually show and plead the fifth and provide nonsensical nebulous testimony when they don't plead the fifth.

For some Senators, for Trumps family and their highly influential enablers, this seems to be a pretty sound strategy in how they continually evade accountability and responsibility for their words and behaviours. 

If they scare enough people, one is going to crack and give up others.

[HardCoreBlue]

21 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Also big time Trump supporter.

If they scare enough people, one is going to crack and give up others.

I’m skeptical. 

[Tracker]

38 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

I’m skeptical. 

Understandable.

[bustamente]

Political figures are using their power to shield themselves in any and all investigations

[HardCoreBlue]

Latest headings we've seen in many different varieties over the years:

‘It’s a major blow’: Dominion has uncovered ‘smoking gun’ evidence in case against Fox News, legal experts say.

Let's just tally this up. By my calculations, this latest heading pushes the tally over the one million mark that Trump, his family, his enablers like GOP Senators, Fox etc have been caught dead to rights.

Also, let's tally up the number of serious charges laid, convictions achieved with serious consequences against Trump, his family, their enablers like GOP senators, Fox etc.

By my calculations, let me crunch the numbers:

0 

[Tracker]

Republicans fear being 'eaten' alive by the 'extremists and loons' they helped empower: columnist

According to a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems, what far-right Fox News pundits say on the air and what they are actually thinking can be two very different things. Dominion, the Washington Post reports, has uncovered actual e-mails and text messages that Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity sent during the lame duck period of late 2020 and early 2021 — when attorney Sidney Powell and other allies of then-President Donald Trump were falsely claiming that Dominion's voting equipment was used to help now-President Joe Biden steal the election.

In those e-mails and texts, Fox News pundits acknowledge that Trump lawyers' claims of a stolen election were nonsense. And Dominion alleges that despite knowing the truth, Fox News shamelessly promoted the Big Lie anyway. Fox's attorneys, fighting the lawsuit, have maintained that the cable news outlet's hosts were simply asking questions in late 2020/early 2021 — not going out of their way to promote defamatory lies.

Defamation, under the standards the U.S. Supreme Court laid out in New York Times v. Sullivan in 1964, is extremely difficult to prove. Defamation, according to the late Chief Justice Earl Warren and his colleagues, must involve "actual malice."

Sloppy reporting and careless mistakes, according to the Sullivan standard, do not constitute actual malice. Nor does inflammatory rhetoric. And ironically, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his GOP allies in the Florida State Legislature are trying to weaken Sullivan’s protections for journalists at the same time that Fox News' lawyers are trying to use them for protection in a major lawsuit.

In an opinion column published on February 24, the Washington Post's Paul Waldman argues that Fox News — like House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) — is being eaten alive by the very extremism it has been promoting.

Looking back on that lame duck period of late 2020/early 2021, Waldman recalls, "On air, Fox was spreading lies about supposed election fraud and bringing on guests without concern for their credibility, including Rudy Giuliani and GOP lawyer Sidney Powell. Meanwhile, Fox's stars and executives privately belittled those same people and the claims they were making…. At the same time, Fox News tried to suppress the truth. Reporters for the organization who corrected false claims were reprimanded and threatened."

Waldman notes some of the things that Fox News hosts said in private, according to Dominion. Hannity, for example, wrote that Giuliani was "acting like an insane person," and Carlson wrote, "Sidney Powell is lying."

The Post columnist argues, "These documents make clear not only that Fox News stars and executives think their audience is a bunch of half-wits, but also, that they live in fear that the audience will turn on them unless they tell viewers exactly what they want to hear regardless of the facts. Who taught that audience to believe conspiracy theories and to assume that any unwelcome information must be a sinister lie? Fox News, of course."

Similarly, Waldman emphasizes, McCarthy is afraid to be honest about the events of January 6, 2021 because he fears offending the MAGA conspiracy theorists he has been encouraging. But by doing so, according to Waldman, the House speaker is sending out a message that the GOP is comprised of "extremists and loons who are far more interested in the obsessions of a spectacularly unpopular ex-president than in the genuine problems the country faces."

"Like the trembling dissemblers of Fox News," Waldman laments, "McCarthy must feel that he has no choice: Feed the beast or be eaten by it. Winning the future is an idea they cannot latch on to because they are so frantic to survive one more day. Republican elites are not powerless. They helped make this mess and could nudge their base back toward reality if they chose. But they're too afraid to try."

https://www.alternet.org/2659464967/

[Tracker]

South Carolina GOP bill would subject those obtaining abortions to death penalty

This article originally appeared on Truthout.

Republican lawmakers in the South Carolina state legislature have introduced a bill that would equate an abortion of a fetus or an embryo to the murder of a living, already-born person, allowing the state, if passed into law, to convict and possibly execute a person if they obtain abortion services.

House Bill 3549 would amend a proposed bill, entitled the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023, to define fetuses and embryos at any stage of development after conception as legal persons. Any instance of an abortion would be considered an assault and/or homicide under the bill's provisions.

As such, the bill would subject people convicted of having an abortion to the same penalties of an assault or murder under state law — which includes the death penalty, if sought by state prosecutors in such instances.

It's unclear as of right now how likely the bill is to pass. However, it is presently being co-sponsored by several members of the Republican caucus — 19 members of the state House of Representatives in total (equal to more than 15 percent of the total number in that chamber and more than 21 percent of the total House Republican membership).

Critics of the bill say that its language can potentially punish pregnant people for more than just abortion — any person who has a miscarriage, for example, could be found liable for murder under its provisions too.

"You can be charged with murder…. The end of the pregnancy establishes a crime," said Vicki Ringer, director of public affairs at Planned Parenthood South Atlantic South Carolina, in a series of tweets explaining the bill's provisions. "You have to prove innocence."

[Tracker]

"Unforgivable insult": George Santos wants to make AR-15 the "National Gun of America"

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is backing a bill to make the AR-15 rifle — a gun that has been used in some of the deadliest mass shootings in the country — the "National Gun of the United States."

Santos this week joined primary sponsor Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., in backing the bill, as did gun store owner Rep. Andrew Clyde, R- Ga., and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who ran a gun-themed restaurant called "Shooters Grill."

Moore announced the bill this week claiming, "any government that would take away one right would take away them all," AL.com first reported. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, rebuked Santos, and called his support of the bill "outrageous and appalling."

"This bill, which attempts to glorify the weapons that have been part of such horrific tragedies, adds unforgivable insult to injury for those families," Hochul said in a statement to Gothamist.

https://www.salon.com/2023/02/24/unforgivable-insult-george-santos-wants-to-make-ar-15-the-national-of-america/

[HardCoreBlue]

19 hours ago, Tracker said:

"Unforgivable insult": George Santos wants to make AR-15 the "National Gun of America"

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is backing a bill to make the AR-15 rifle — a gun that has been used in some of the deadliest mass shootings in the country — the "National Gun of the United States."

Santos this week joined primary sponsor Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., in backing the bill, as did gun store owner Rep. Andrew Clyde, R- Ga., and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who ran a gun-themed restaurant called "Shooters Grill."

Moore announced the bill this week claiming, "any government that would take away one right would take away them all," AL.com first reported. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, rebuked Santos, and called his support of the bill "outrageous and appalling."

"This bill, which attempts to glorify the weapons that have been part of such horrific tragedies, adds unforgivable insult to injury for those families," Hochul said in a statement to Gothamist.

https://www.salon.com/2023/02/24/unforgivable-insult-george-santos-wants-to-make-ar-15-the-national-of-america/

Wow rebuked. You told him. This continues to be white noise pearl clutching full of bluster and nothingness until some direct impactful consequences happen to fools like Santos.

We're all guilty of pearl clutching I get it but some of us have more influence and authority to actually do something about things that have major societal impacts ffs.

 

 

[Mark F]

29 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

This continues to be white noise pearl clutching full of bluster and nothingness u

santos, boebert, etc., good in a way.... these crackpots' high visibility might be moving some voters away from the republican party.

[Tracker]

Kentucky officials fear measles outbreak after 'spiritual revival'

Kentucky health officials have warned people who attended a large "spiritual revival" to be on the lookout for any measles symptoms after an unvaccinated participant came down with the disease.

Measles are re-emerging as a concerning health issue as anti-vaxxers have spread their message to cover other vaccines. Some religious groups also preach against vaccines. Measles can have serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis. Nearly 250,000 kindergarten children are now vulnerable to the disease amid a drop off in vaccinations, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control.

“Anyone who attended the revival" at Asbury University in the town of Wilmore on Feb. 18 "may have been exposed to measles,” Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, warned in a statement. “Attendees who are unvaccinated are encouraged to quarantine for 21 days, and to seek immunization with the measles vaccine, which is safe and effective.”

He also warned anyone with symptoms not to show up at hospitals, clinics or emergency rooms without advance notice so health care workers can take precautions to protect themselves and others. Measles is extremely contagious.

The latest case is the third in three months, according to officials, but cases can spike quickly.  Symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose and a rash three to five days after symptom onset.

The Kentucky Health Department is working with local agencies to boost the number of children who receive the combination measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. MMR vaccine coverage among Kentucky kindergarten children is among the lowest in the nation, according to CDC statistics

[HardCoreBlue]

On 2023-02-23 at 12:14 PM, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Well, I guess we can put to bed whether or not Dilbert creator is racist. 

 

It’s being reported several newspapers are dropping him now. Now he will say look I’m being cancelled by the woke mob.

This is the environment we live in currently. I use my freedom of speech to say outlandish racist drivel, I’m called on it automatically, then I scream woke mob cancel culture, I’m the hero for speaking truth, look at me I’m a martyr please part with your money thanks very much.

We see it hear with a few posters, one specifically with a fish name or something, that think things like this Dilbert prick is he is just sharing a side thought and we are actually the problem for not allowing it as part of an intelligent discourse because you know it’s just another side to the issue.

Freedom of speech not freedom from consequences no matter how one tries to wriggle their way out of it.

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

It’s being reported several newspapers are dropping him now. Now he will say look I’m being cancelled by the woke mob.

This is the environment we live in currently. I use my freedom of speech to say outlandish racist drivel, I’m called on it automatically, then I scream woke mob cancel culture, I’m the hero for speaking truth, look at me I’m a martyr please part with your money thanks very much.

We see it hear with a few posters, one specifically with a fish name or something, that think things like this Dilbert prick is he is just sharing a side thought and we are actually the problem for not allowing it as part of an intelligent discourse because you know it’s just another side to the issue.

Freedom of speech not freedom from consequences no matter how one tries to wriggle their way out of it.

I always think back to that social media meme post on freedom of discussion.

"

I was thinking of the “free exchange of ideas” last night. You know, it’s not like a market, it’s like a potluck. Everyone brings their own ideas and you sample others and some are familiar with a twist, some are interesting but not to your taste, some are bad, some are lifechanging. You can get into a discussion about recipes or technique, or what have you as people talk about the good. 

If someone brings mashed potatoes, you can debate the appropriateness for a potluck: is it too bland? Will it get cold on the table? Do potatoes make up too much of our diet?

But if someone puts a steaming platter of dog **** on the table, we’re not going to debate it. And when we tell them to take it off the table, it’s not because we are afraid of eating their dog **** or that we think it’s going to revolutionize lunch but we don’t want to allow that to happen.

We tell them to get it off the table because there is no debate to be had. It’ dog ****. It’s not an open question, it’s not a matter of palettes or picky eaters.

That’s why we don’t engage with neo-nazis and white supremacists, and it’s why we don’t (or shouldn’t) let them come to the potluck."

 

 

[JohnnyAbonny]

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

It’s being reported several newspapers are dropping him now. Now he will say look I’m being cancelled by the woke mob.

This is the environment we live in currently. I use my freedom of speech to say outlandish racist drivel, I’m called on it automatically, then I scream woke mob cancel culture, I’m the hero for speaking truth, look at me I’m a martyr please part with your money thanks very much.

We see it hear with a few posters, one specifically with a fish name or something, that think things like this Dilbert prick is he is just sharing a side thought and we are actually the problem for not allowing it as part of an intelligent discourse because you know it’s just another side to the issue.

Freedom of speech not freedom from consequences no matter how one tries to wriggle their way out of it.

I’ve said it before, giving equal weight to **** views because “everyone’s entitled to their opinion” was the downfall of our society. 

[Tracker]

On 2023-02-23 at 1:14 PM, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Well, I guess we can put to bed whether or not Dilbert creator is racist. 

 

‘Dilbert’ Author Invokes Mike Pence to Explain Racist Rant

Newspapers dropped Scott Adams’ comic strip this week after he advised white people to stay away from Black people. In a new video, Adams says some racism is okay, actually.
Embattled Dilbert creator Scott Adams responded to allegations of racism on Saturday by arguing that racism is fine in some situations.

Newspapers including Cleveland’s Plain Dealer announced this week that they would stop running Dilbert cartoons after Adams went on a “racist rant” in which he encouraged white people to stay away from Black people, whom he described as a “hate group.”

In a follow-up video on Saturday, Adams attempted to clarify his comments, likening them to former Vice President Mike Pence’s policy of avoiding one-on-one interactions with women, out of fear of what Adams described as “getting me-too’d when maybe you didn’t me-too anybody.”

On Wednesday, Adams advised white people to keep their distance from Black people, whom he described as hateful.

“I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people,” the Plain Dealer quoted Adams as saying in the Wednesday video.

-REUTERS

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

Solid article on rage farming.

 

[Tracker]

3 hours ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Solid article on rage farming.

 

There are huge Russian bot farms whose sole purpose is to spread disinformation in order to further Russian political and economic influence. They do this by flooding social media of all sorts to discredit by volume anything unfavourable to Russia and to undermine peoples' faith in democratic governments and judicial systems. 

[Wideleft]

13 hours ago, Tracker said:

There are huge Russian bot farms whose sole purpose is to spread disinformation in order to further Russian political and economic influence. They do this by flooding social media of all sorts to discredit by volume anything unfavourable to Russia and to undermine peoples' faith in democratic governments and judicial systems. 

People who track such things have noted PeePee's and Danielle Smith's reliance on bot farms as well.  Considering that Jeff Ballingall (Canada Proud) has been hired by PeePee tells you all you should know.

[Tracker]

Judge decides DOJ can search Jan. 6 'key figure' Scott Perry’s phone in scathing ruling

Late Friday, Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court in D.C. swatted aside protestations from Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) who was trying to keep the Department of Justice from reviewing over 2,000 documents on his phone related to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Perry, who continues to support Donald Trump's assertion that the election was stolen and is reportedly under investigation, claimed that the 2,219 documents on his phone were protected by the "speech or debate" clause in the Constitution which shields members of Congress from a criminal investigation into fulfilling their duties.

However, Judge Howell bluntly disagreed on Friday. "Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court in D.C. released a number of previously sealed opinions after finding that the 'powerful public interest' outweighed the need for secrecy in the constitutional battle over Perry’s claims and the historic investigation," the Washington Post is reporting.

In the ruling, Howell wrote, "What is plain is that the Clause does not shield Rep. Perry’s random musings with private individuals touting an expertise in cybersecurity or political discussions with attorneys from a presidential campaign, or with state legislators concerning hearings before them about possible local election fraud or actions they could take to challenge election results in Pennsylvania."

According to the Post's Spencer Hsu, "Perry is a key figure who sought to help Trump replace the attorney general after the 2020 election with former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and get the Justice Department to reverse its finding that Joe Biden had been elected fairly, according to the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol."

The report adds, "The Justice Department has separately prioritized and obtained access to 37 emails between Perry and Trump-connected lawyers John Eastman, who pushed false claims of mass electoral fraud in 2020, Clark and aide Ken Klukowski, as well as 331 documents from Clark about his Jan. 6 role, according to the filings."

[do or die]

Interesting day for Rupert Murdoch, in court......

Rupert Murdoch Admitted Under Oath Fox News Hosts Promoted Election Lies
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/breaking-rupert-murdoch-admitted-under-oath-fox-news-hosts-promoted-election-lies/

Murdoch Said Hannity Was 'Privately Disgusted' By Trump But 'Scared to Lose Viewers', According to New Court Filing
http://Murdoch Said Hannity Was 'Privately Disgusted' By Trump But 'Scared to Lose Viewers', According to New Court Filing

Blockbuster Filing Reveals Rupert Murdoch Said There Was ‘Some Truth’ To BLISTERING Anti-Fox News Mediaite Column
https://wwmediaite.com/news/blockbuster-filing-reveals-rupert-murdoch-said-there-was-some-truth-to-blistering-anti-fox-news-mediaite-column/

The sound one hears......is an armored cash truck from Dominion,  pulling up to the Fox Company loading dock......