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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #4-10: The Trumper Games: You're Fired! Edition
Last edited Thu Mar 22, 2018, 04:43 PM - Edit history (2)
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #4-10: The Trumper Games: You're Fired! Edition
Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Who wants a billion dollars? Because that’s the award our show is giving to someone who fills out a perfect bracket. Wait what? My producer Carlos is telling me that there are no perfect brackets anymore. I mean come on, who didn’t have Virginia picked to go all the way? Damn you UMBC!!! Thank you sound effects guy! Just kidding, that was the upset of the century and I watched every second of that game. And no we don’t have a billion dollars to give away. We barely have a hundred. Come on, when you have a budget of zero then sacrifices have to be made, people! Do we have time for the thing? OK good. Hey people – enough of the fan theories! So of course Marvel drops the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War this weekend. Which – by the way – it looks fucking amazing. I mean come on, who doesn’t want to see that Spiderman and Dr. Strange scene? Or that scene with Thor surrounded by lightning? Or Iron Man and Peter Quill in the same room? But really – we don’t need your 40 minute analysis of a 2 minute trailer! OK? Seriously, don’t you people have better and more constructive things to do? Well besides watch us, I mean! And I mean this really happens every single time a blockbuster movie comes out. The trailer is 2 fucking minutes! And just watching the trailer on Youtube, you soon thereafter get bombarded with hundreds of videos of people mindlessly delving into every minute detail of the trailer. It’s madness. It needs to end now! What? I mean just because we see toddler Groot doesn’t mean we need a play by play analysis of it like it’s the final play of the Super Bowl! Stop it people, just stop it! And no I don’t need your prediction videos about what you think is going to happen in Avengers: Infinity War. And I’m a huge fan of the Marvel Universe. Can’t we just sit back, watch movies and enjoy them anymore? why does everything have to have a playbook analysis? I mean it’s just madness. OK enough of the intro. We have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first John Oliver is back and he takes a long look at the history of our current Vice President Mike Pence:
Ed. Note – We are *NOT* going to cover the Austin bombings. It’s a horrifying story and making fun of it would again violate policy that we don’t make fun of events like this. That would be beneath us.
Taking the first slot this week – is of course our president Donald J. Trump (1) who occupies only a single slot this week. He’s named the latest tributes in this year’s exciting edition of The Trumper Games – Rex Tillerson and Andrew McCabe! Taking the second slot this week is a pro Trump research group called Cambridge Analytica (2), and whew, if you think there’s collusion going on, these guys are taking it to a whole new level! In the third slot this week is the real president of the United States – Vladimir Putin (3), who handily won reelection this week which means 6 more years of sheer terror! But would you be surprised he rigged his own election? We’re not! In the 4th slot this week is West Virginia coal mining CEO Don Blankenship (4) who launched a bid for senate. Yes, these assholes just wont go away! Taking the 5th slot, we’ve got the return of “How Is This Still A Thing” and this time around we’re going to talk about a pair of incidents and ask “Swatting: How Is This Still A Thing”?At number 6 is our weekly sermon on all the wacky things the Christian right is up to this week in “Holy Shit” (6), and this time around, our resident pastor is going to go looking for demons. Because they exist, apparently. In the number 7 slot, we’ve got an all new installment of our ongoing series “Top 10 Investigates” (7) and this time we’re going to ask “WTF is going on with Stan Lee?”. Yes, the Marvel legend is in some deep trouble and we’ll tell you all about it. At number 8 is the Alt Right – we’re going to tell you about their plans to launch their own conference along with Richard Spencer’s terrible no good very bad day. In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot is a new round of “I Need A Drink” and this time we’re going to get drunk and enjoy a burger prepared by Pasadena’s own Flippy The Robot (9). And finally it’s the long-awaited tip off of our Stupidest State Contest! This week it’s Round 1 Week 1 which will see Iowa battle Kentucky for the king of the Batshit Conference, while Montana will be bringing their big guns against Arizona in an old west duel to the death! Plus we’ll have a live performance from the legendary Arcade Fire! Wait, they were just on Saturday Night Live! What are they doing on our crappy show? Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!
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[font size="8"]Donald Trump
[br] [/font] [br]
Ah it’s time for the latest round of the Trumper Games! Wait, give me a second.
Welcome to the latest round of the Trumper Games! Mmmm… yes…. Mmm… yes! Hey Charlie! Why must you give me the cheap champagne? I want the good shit! Much better! So we have the latest two tributes who are descending upon the capital have been eliminated! And we will tell you all about it because it’s insane. This week – not one, but two tributes – one hailing from District 5 South, the other hailing from District 7 – Tribute Tillerson and Tribute McCabe. This isn’t a mere edition of the Trumper Games, this is the Trumper Games: You’re Fired! So who is behind door number one?
This week, amid more than a year of a record-setting number of firings and resignations for the Trump administration, one of the biggest names yet was given his dismissal. Namely, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose firing was publicly announced on Tuesday. But on Friday, in a meeting with reporters, White House chief of staff John Kelly reportedly revealed how Tillerson was fired, and the details are about as awkward as it gets.
The meeting Kelly participated in was reportedly off-the-record, which means those reporters who were actually invited were bound not to publicly divulge or detail its contents. Since then, however, multiple outlets (including The Daily Beast and Axios) that weren't in on the meeting have reported on what Kelly said, citing sources familiar with the contents of the call. Since these outlets were not invited to the meeting, they are therefore not bound by it being off-the-record.
As such, The Daily Beast reported on Friday that Kelly discussed what Tillerson was up to when he got the news he'd been fired, and from the sounds of things it was pretty unceremonious. Specifically, Kelly reportedly said Tillerson was sitting on a toilet when he got the call, suffering from an upset stomach while abroad in Africa on official business.
https://www.bustle.com/p/how-john-kelly-reportedly-told-rex-tillerson-he-was-fired-is-the-most-awkward-story-ever-8530437
The meeting Kelly participated in was reportedly off-the-record, which means those reporters who were actually invited were bound not to publicly divulge or detail its contents. Since then, however, multiple outlets (including The Daily Beast and Axios) that weren't in on the meeting have reported on what Kelly said, citing sources familiar with the contents of the call. Since these outlets were not invited to the meeting, they are therefore not bound by it being off-the-record.
As such, The Daily Beast reported on Friday that Kelly discussed what Tillerson was up to when he got the news he'd been fired, and from the sounds of things it was pretty unceremonious. Specifically, Kelly reportedly said Tillerson was sitting on a toilet when he got the call, suffering from an upset stomach while abroad in Africa on official business.
https://www.bustle.com/p/how-john-kelly-reportedly-told-rex-tillerson-he-was-fired-is-the-most-awkward-story-ever-8530437
Mmmmmmmmmm… yes! Mmmmmmmmmmmm…. Yes! My pretties, the latest tribute – who was from District 5 South, was eliminated while he was on the toilet! Because in the Trumper Games, anyone can be fired at any time for any reason. Doesn't matter if you're taking a shit or you're getting shit on by a porn star. Hey everyone has something. And this might be the most President Trump thing that has happened since President Trump took office! By the way we have to show the brilliant Saturday Night Live intro from this week which featured John Goodman as the now former Secretary Of State:
That line from John Goodman was brilliant! “One minute you’re the head of a $50 billion corporation, the next you get fired by a guy who used to sell steaks in the mail!”. So who is the latest tribute to take his place in the Trumper Games?
Of all of CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s qualifications to serve as secretary of the State Department, one of the most meaningful in terms of his relationship with the career foreign service may, improbably, be his service as a U.S. Army officer.
From my own 32 years as an American diplomat, including a stint as deputy executive secretary on the seventh floor of the State Department, I observed that Secretaries George Shultz and Jim Baker, both Marine Corps officers, had a genuine appreciation for the work of the officers who staff the bureaus, just as they had for their troops in combat.
As a graduate of West Point and having served as a U.S. Army officer, Pompeo will have a similar in-bred instinct to reach far down into the bureaucratic structure and make every part of the State Department feel that they are, once again, considered a valued part of his team implementing our country’s foreign policy.
As the secretary of the State Department involves deputy assistant secretaries, country directors, desk officers and foreign affairs specialists in formulating policy options and providing in-depth background information to him, morale will soar.
http://thehill.com/opinion/international/379041-mike-pompeo-has-skills-to-bring-american-diplomacy-back-to-life
From my own 32 years as an American diplomat, including a stint as deputy executive secretary on the seventh floor of the State Department, I observed that Secretaries George Shultz and Jim Baker, both Marine Corps officers, had a genuine appreciation for the work of the officers who staff the bureaus, just as they had for their troops in combat.
As a graduate of West Point and having served as a U.S. Army officer, Pompeo will have a similar in-bred instinct to reach far down into the bureaucratic structure and make every part of the State Department feel that they are, once again, considered a valued part of his team implementing our country’s foreign policy.
As the secretary of the State Department involves deputy assistant secretaries, country directors, desk officers and foreign affairs specialists in formulating policy options and providing in-depth background information to him, morale will soar.
http://thehill.com/opinion/international/379041-mike-pompeo-has-skills-to-bring-american-diplomacy-back-to-life
Well, considering that Trump and his Infowars cabal broke American diplomacy it’s going to take a hell of a lot to fix it, Mikey! But Tillerson wasn’t the only tribute eliminated this week! Who is the latest to go in this week’s Trumper Games?
It's hard to say exactly why former top FBI official Andrew McCabe was fired Friday night, hours before he was set to retire with full benefits. The top line from the man who fired him, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is that McCabe authorized the FBI to talk to the media about a Hillary Clinton-related criminal inquiry, then “lacked candor” when internal investigators asked him about it.
That's all we know for now. The details aren't public because the Justice Department hasn't yet released a report from its own internal watchdog.
The lack of transparency on McCabe's firing leaves room for both sides to say this is really about Russia.
McCabe has said his firing is the latest salvo in an “ongoing war” on the FBI and the special counsel investigating Trump-Russia connections. President Trump immediately pivoted from McCabe's firing over how he handled an aspect of a Clinton investigation to attacking the entire FBI for its ongoing investigation of him.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/19/wait-why-exactly-did-andrew-mccabe-get-fired/?utm_term=.97029d798279
That's all we know for now. The details aren't public because the Justice Department hasn't yet released a report from its own internal watchdog.
The lack of transparency on McCabe's firing leaves room for both sides to say this is really about Russia.
McCabe has said his firing is the latest salvo in an “ongoing war” on the FBI and the special counsel investigating Trump-Russia connections. President Trump immediately pivoted from McCabe's firing over how he handled an aspect of a Clinton investigation to attacking the entire FBI for its ongoing investigation of him.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/19/wait-why-exactly-did-andrew-mccabe-get-fired/?utm_term=.97029d798279
Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Yes. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Yes. So my pretties FBI investigator Andrew McCabe, was the latest tribute to be eliminated from the games! And the president has spoken! Yes, our dear leader aired his grievances with this particular tribute from his favorite means of communication – the tweet!
Link to tweet
To which the president followed it up with:
Link to tweet
But it’s not over! We will keep you posted on the latest tributes and developments happening in the Trumper Games! So why was Tribute McCabe eliminated from his competition in the games? There are many theories on that!
While it might be too early to label fired former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe a victim, there is without question one victim in this story: the American people, who have been left to form opinions without benefit of the facts.
With all eyes on the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General and its forthcoming report on the conduct of FBI officials during the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, Justice leadership chose to act on a subset of the IG’s findings and fire McCabe without providing underlying details.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americans-need-to-know-the-truth-about-andrew-mccabe/2018/03/18/ceffba34-2a38-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html?utm_term=.bc477949ef19
With all eyes on the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General and its forthcoming report on the conduct of FBI officials during the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, Justice leadership chose to act on a subset of the IG’s findings and fire McCabe without providing underlying details.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americans-need-to-know-the-truth-about-andrew-mccabe/2018/03/18/ceffba34-2a38-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html?utm_term=.bc477949ef19
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[font size="8"]Cambridge Analytica
[br] [/font] [br]
So the guy who currently calls himself the president of the United States – Donald J. Trump, will repeatedly remind you that this is a witch hunt, and that there’s “no collusion!”. And of course Trump doesn't know anything. In fact he is the man who knew too little, and he knows so little that he's forced to just come up with bullshit excuses. Like he did on Monday:
Link to tweet
The only real conflict of interest sir, is your office. Thank you! Because this week, Facebook let go of a long time collaborator called Cambridge Analytica. You might not know the name but after this week, it should be forever engrained in your brains:
A former Cambridge Analytica employee accused the data analytics firm of mishandling the personal information of more than 50 million Facebook users in an effort to help Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Christopher Wylie, who helped found Cambridge and worked there until late 2014, told ABC News the company would use the information, including Facebook users’ hometowns, friends and “likes” to influence the behavior of potential voters.
“Cambridge Analytica will try to pick at whatever mental weakness or vulnerability that we think you have and try to warp your perception of what’s real around you,” Wylie told ABC News in the interview. “If you are looking to create an information weapon, the battle space you operate in is social media. That is where the fight happens.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/trump-linked-analytics-firm-cambridge-analytica-stolen-data/story?id=53844305
Christopher Wylie, who helped found Cambridge and worked there until late 2014, told ABC News the company would use the information, including Facebook users’ hometowns, friends and “likes” to influence the behavior of potential voters.
“Cambridge Analytica will try to pick at whatever mental weakness or vulnerability that we think you have and try to warp your perception of what’s real around you,” Wylie told ABC News in the interview. “If you are looking to create an information weapon, the battle space you operate in is social media. That is where the fight happens.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/trump-linked-analytics-firm-cambridge-analytica-stolen-data/story?id=53844305
That is a good point, sir! But there’s far more to this evil act from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica that could possibly do some long term serious damage. Oh and guess who CA’s chief financial backer was? Yup!:
A powerful but previously obscure online data mining firm bankrolled by Albuquerque native Robert Mercer has been thrust into the media glare following revelations that it harvested Facebook user information to help propel Donald Trump into the White House in 2016.
Robert Mercer, a Sandia High School and UNM graduate turned New York hedge fund titan, reportedly plowed $15 million into Cambridge Analytica, which helped both the Trump campaign in the U.S. and the Brexit movement in the United Kingdom. The Journal profiled Mercer and his Albuquerque connections in November.
According to Forbes magazine, Mercer donated $24.6 million to the Republican Party in 2016. He has reportedly invested $10 million into Breitbart, the conservative news site. Financial journals place his net worth at from $900 million to more than a $1 billion.
https://www.abqjournal.com/1147718/abq-native-robert-mercer-bankrolled-cambridge-analytica.html
Robert Mercer, a Sandia High School and UNM graduate turned New York hedge fund titan, reportedly plowed $15 million into Cambridge Analytica, which helped both the Trump campaign in the U.S. and the Brexit movement in the United Kingdom. The Journal profiled Mercer and his Albuquerque connections in November.
According to Forbes magazine, Mercer donated $24.6 million to the Republican Party in 2016. He has reportedly invested $10 million into Breitbart, the conservative news site. Financial journals place his net worth at from $900 million to more than a $1 billion.
https://www.abqjournal.com/1147718/abq-native-robert-mercer-bankrolled-cambridge-analytica.html
Yeah BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Well if this is true then Robert Mercer not only violated Facebook’s terms of use, he may have committed some light treason on top of that! But how deep does this thing go? It turns out that Brexit may have been compromised as well!
THE HEAD OF the British parliament’s media committee has accused Facebook of misleading lawmakers by downplaying the risk of users’ data being shared without their consent.
Conservative legislator Damian Collins said he would ask Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg or another executive to appear before his committee, which is investigating disinformation and fake news.
Collins said Facebook has “consistently understated” the risk of data leaks and given misleading answers to the committee.
“Someone has to take responsibility for this,” he said. “It’s time for Mark Zuckerberg to stop hiding behind his Facebook page.”
http://www.thejournal.ie/facebook-cambridge-analytica-3912105-Mar2018/
Conservative legislator Damian Collins said he would ask Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg or another executive to appear before his committee, which is investigating disinformation and fake news.
Collins said Facebook has “consistently understated” the risk of data leaks and given misleading answers to the committee.
“Someone has to take responsibility for this,” he said. “It’s time for Mark Zuckerberg to stop hiding behind his Facebook page.”
http://www.thejournal.ie/facebook-cambridge-analytica-3912105-Mar2018/
So Robert Mercer and Facebook may have… just may have committed some light treason. Actually, it may be full bore treason. Oh by the way conservatives – there is no social media conspiracy surrounding conservatives getting shit canned from Facebook and Twitter. You’re getting canned because you’re hateful dicks! Stop being hateful dicks and we’ll stop reporting you! This is getting scarier and scarier and it looks like a whole bunch of people are going to go down for this. Not in that way, sir! Of course they’re going to deny it, because, why not?
Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm used by the Donald Trump campaign during the 2016 elections, insisted on Saturday that it did not misuse or hold data obtained from Facebook FB users, despite having been sanctioned by the platform for doing so.
On Friday, Facebook announced that it had suspended Cambridge Analytica , suggesting the firm had not been honest about deleting user data sent to it by the makers of a popular psychology test app.
That particular app, called "thisisyourdigitallife," was itself banned by Facebook back in 2015. However, the social network has accused Cambridge Analytica of holding that data, despite assurances to the contrary.
"Several days ago, we received reports that, contrary to the certifications we were given, not all data was deleted," Facebook said in a blog post . "We are moving aggressively to determine the accuracy of these claims. If true, this is another unacceptable violation of trust and the commitments they made."
Cambridge Analytica now finds itself in the middle of a political firestorm, amid a roiling debate over 'information warfare' that is being used to influence the electoral process. It stands accused of harvesting Facebook user data to profile voters that that were ultimately targeted by the Trump campaign, which spent over $6 million on information obtained by the firm.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cambridge-analytica-pushes-back-facebook-141800816.html
On Friday, Facebook announced that it had suspended Cambridge Analytica , suggesting the firm had not been honest about deleting user data sent to it by the makers of a popular psychology test app.
That particular app, called "thisisyourdigitallife," was itself banned by Facebook back in 2015. However, the social network has accused Cambridge Analytica of holding that data, despite assurances to the contrary.
"Several days ago, we received reports that, contrary to the certifications we were given, not all data was deleted," Facebook said in a blog post . "We are moving aggressively to determine the accuracy of these claims. If true, this is another unacceptable violation of trust and the commitments they made."
Cambridge Analytica now finds itself in the middle of a political firestorm, amid a roiling debate over 'information warfare' that is being used to influence the electoral process. It stands accused of harvesting Facebook user data to profile voters that that were ultimately targeted by the Trump campaign, which spent over $6 million on information obtained by the firm.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cambridge-analytica-pushes-back-facebook-141800816.html
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[font size="8"]Vladimir Putin
[br] [/font] [br]
Meanwhile, in Russia… um, we should pay far more attention to what’s going on in that country than we are right now. Because it’s fucking insane. So the real president of the United States, Vladimir Putin, is the new leader of Russia. But of course like all things involving Putin, it’s not without some shady fucking activity surrounding it. And I mean would you be surprised that Trump called Putin after the election and the NSA, FBI, and CIA all explicitly warned him *NOT* to do so? I mean he's under investigation for Russian collusion!
President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE,” according to officials familiar with the call.
Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow.
The president’s conversation with Putin, which Trump described as a “very good call,” prompted fresh criticism of his muted tone toward one of the United States’ biggest geopolitical rivals amid the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-national-security-advisers-warned-him-not-to-congratulate-putin-he-did-it-anyway/2018/03/20/22738ebc-2c68-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html?utm_term=.928c9d5c5ce5
Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow.
The president’s conversation with Putin, which Trump described as a “very good call,” prompted fresh criticism of his muted tone toward one of the United States’ biggest geopolitical rivals amid the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-national-security-advisers-warned-him-not-to-congratulate-putin-he-did-it-anyway/2018/03/20/22738ebc-2c68-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html?utm_term=.928c9d5c5ce5
?
Yeah so that happened. Trump is seriously that guy - if you tell him not to do something, he will do it. Don't push the button. Sure, he'll push that fucking button all right! So here’s how the whole Russian election went down.
(CNN)Sunday's landslide election that handed victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin was "overly controlled" and "lacked genuine competition," international election monitors said Monday.
Michael Georg Link, who led a team of observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said election day was conducted professionally and in an orderly manner, but that the vote was held on "an uneven playing field."
He pointed to the extensive media coverage given to Putin on tightly controlled state-run television, the main source of political information in Russia.
"Where the legal framework restricts many fundamental freedoms and the outcome is not in doubt, elections almost lose their purpose," Link said Monday at a news conference in Moscow.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/19/europe/russia-election-reaction-intl/index.html
Michael Georg Link, who led a team of observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said election day was conducted professionally and in an orderly manner, but that the vote was held on "an uneven playing field."
He pointed to the extensive media coverage given to Putin on tightly controlled state-run television, the main source of political information in Russia.
"Where the legal framework restricts many fundamental freedoms and the outcome is not in doubt, elections almost lose their purpose," Link said Monday at a news conference in Moscow.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/19/europe/russia-election-reaction-intl/index.html
?noredirect
Oh sure who needs fair competition when Vlad has been known to literally murder it? If you’re running against Putin, you might want to have professional food and drink tasters, and maybe a professional car starter on hand 24/7. We’re just saying. You got to protect yourself. And come on in a very one sided election, do you really need exit polls?
Moscow (CNN)Vladimir Putin has extended his grip on Russia for another six years after an overwhelming victory in Sunday's presidential election, a result that was never in doubt.
With 99.8% of the votes counted, Putin won with 76.7%, according to Central Election Commission data. It means Putin will rule until 2024, when he will be 71 and obliged by law to step down.
Putin sailed to victory against the backdrop of wall-to-wall support from state media and with no serious challenger. His nearest rival, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, won 11.79%,while ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky took 5.7%. Former reality TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak was on 1.7%, while veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky received just over 1% of the vote.
His fiercest opponent, Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/18/europe/vladimir-putin-russian-election-2018-results-intl/index.html
With 99.8% of the votes counted, Putin won with 76.7%, according to Central Election Commission data. It means Putin will rule until 2024, when he will be 71 and obliged by law to step down.
Putin sailed to victory against the backdrop of wall-to-wall support from state media and with no serious challenger. His nearest rival, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, won 11.79%,while ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky took 5.7%. Former reality TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak was on 1.7%, while veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky received just over 1% of the vote.
His fiercest opponent, Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/18/europe/vladimir-putin-russian-election-2018-results-intl/index.html
And not only was it a win – it was a landslide victory and one of the widest margins in Russian election history. So, audience… HOW BIG WAS IT????
Vladimir Putin cruised to victory in Sunday’s presidential elections in a result that was never in question. His fourth term as president will extend until 2024, making him the first Kremlin leader to serve two decades in power since Josef Stalin.
With results still coming in, Putin looked set to exceed expectations by clinching more than 75% of the vote.
Turnout, which was seen as a measure of the Kremlin’s legitimacy in this uncompetitive campaign, was close to 60% as of 9pm GMT on Sunday evening after a long day of voting. The Kremlin had hoped to match the 65% who cast votes in 2012 and had initially sought 70% turnout.
“Thank you for your support,” Putin told crowds on Manezhnaya Square just under the Kremlin walls, wearing a black down jacket with a fur hood. “Everyone who voted today is part of our big, national team.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/18/vladimir-putin-wins-russian-election-with-more-than-70-of-vote-exit-poll
With results still coming in, Putin looked set to exceed expectations by clinching more than 75% of the vote.
Turnout, which was seen as a measure of the Kremlin’s legitimacy in this uncompetitive campaign, was close to 60% as of 9pm GMT on Sunday evening after a long day of voting. The Kremlin had hoped to match the 65% who cast votes in 2012 and had initially sought 70% turnout.
“Thank you for your support,” Putin told crowds on Manezhnaya Square just under the Kremlin walls, wearing a black down jacket with a fur hood. “Everyone who voted today is part of our big, national team.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/18/vladimir-putin-wins-russian-election-with-more-than-70-of-vote-exit-poll
Where fashion sits… putting on the Ritz!! Sorry, got carried away there for a minute. But even the most landslide margins don’t come without some landslide cheating! The Joker from the Dark Knight said it best – “madness is like gravity, all it needs is a little push!”. And that’s exactly what Putin has done!
Russian election observers denounced what they said were large-scale violations in the presidential vote that handed Vladimir Putin a crushing victory, including ballot-stuffing that was captured on state-controlled cameras.
Golos, an election-monitoring organization, said it registered more than 1,500 violations in regions across Russia. Several cases of people stuffing ballot boxes at polling stations, including near Moscow, were recorded on cameras set up by the authorities to ensure a transparent vote.
Opposition leader Alexey Navalny said data compiled by his observers at polling stations showed that the official turnout of 67.5 percent was inflated by 10 percentage points. Navalny was barred from contesting the election and had called for a boycott of Sunday’s vote in protest. There was “widespread fraud,” according to Open Russia, an opposition organization founded by former oil tycoon and Kremlin opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-19/russian-observers-charge-fraud-in-putin-s-landslide-re-election
Golos, an election-monitoring organization, said it registered more than 1,500 violations in regions across Russia. Several cases of people stuffing ballot boxes at polling stations, including near Moscow, were recorded on cameras set up by the authorities to ensure a transparent vote.
Opposition leader Alexey Navalny said data compiled by his observers at polling stations showed that the official turnout of 67.5 percent was inflated by 10 percentage points. Navalny was barred from contesting the election and had called for a boycott of Sunday’s vote in protest. There was “widespread fraud,” according to Open Russia, an opposition organization founded by former oil tycoon and Kremlin opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-19/russian-observers-charge-fraud-in-putin-s-landslide-re-election
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[font size="8"]Don Blankenship
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You know you can’t spell the word “conservative” without the word “con”. And nobody cons it up more than a conservative CEO. And more specifically – the CEO of a coal mining company. And even more specific than that – a recently indicted CEO of a coal mining company who served only a years’ time for the untimely deaths of 29 employees caused by a safety violation. Yeah, we’re looking at you, Don Blankenship. Don’t think you can’t get away with this one!
The West Virginia Senate race has an ex-con in the lead of the Republican primary and the GOP is fearing it might become another Roy Moore-level disaster for their party.
Coal baron Don Blankenship is freshly freed from one year in prison after a mining safety incident that killed 29 miners. The incident marked the deadliest coal mining incident in 40 years, and Blankenship was found partially responsible. He became the first ever high-ranking executive who was convicted of a workplace safety violation.
When Blankenship was freed, he filed to run for the U.S. Senate for the Republican Party. As one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Appalachia, according to the New York Times, Blankenship has dumped $450,000 of his fortune into television ads blasting the field of his fellow Republicans. As a result, Politico revealed, he’s shot up in the polls.
Now, the GOP is starting to worry. In a race against conservative Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Blankenship has to go as far right as the likes of Moore or Pennsylvania congressional candidate Rick Saccone. At the same time, having an ex-con whose lax safety in coal mines killed so many West Virginians isn’t a good look for the Republican Party.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/republicans-fear-another-roy-moore-style-disaster-west-virginia-ex-con-coal-ceo-takes-lead-polls/
Coal baron Don Blankenship is freshly freed from one year in prison after a mining safety incident that killed 29 miners. The incident marked the deadliest coal mining incident in 40 years, and Blankenship was found partially responsible. He became the first ever high-ranking executive who was convicted of a workplace safety violation.
When Blankenship was freed, he filed to run for the U.S. Senate for the Republican Party. As one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Appalachia, according to the New York Times, Blankenship has dumped $450,000 of his fortune into television ads blasting the field of his fellow Republicans. As a result, Politico revealed, he’s shot up in the polls.
Now, the GOP is starting to worry. In a race against conservative Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Blankenship has to go as far right as the likes of Moore or Pennsylvania congressional candidate Rick Saccone. At the same time, having an ex-con whose lax safety in coal mines killed so many West Virginians isn’t a good look for the Republican Party.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/republicans-fear-another-roy-moore-style-disaster-west-virginia-ex-con-coal-ceo-takes-lead-polls/
Maybe this is how you drain the swamp – appoint the most disgusting, boorish candidates possible to the ticket, and then they get replaced with someone much better! So you might be thinking why appoint one of the ugliest people possible to run for senate? Well…
On a cold, rainy night in West Virginia coal country this winter, Don Blankenship glares out at a half-empty conference room at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington. For almost an hour, the ex-coal executive and ex-con reads off a teleprompter, doing his best impression of a political candidate. For a big man, Blankenship has a surprisingly soft voice. His message is anything but. He talks of his years of union-busting, the twin evils of illegal immigration and opioid addiction—blaming the first for causing the second—and the folly of environmental regulation.
Throughout, he never strays far from the true target of his ire: Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. Blankenship blames Manchin not only for much of what’s wrong with West Virginia, but also for helping put him behind bars.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-03-19/the-ex-con-coal-baron-running-for-senate-in-west-virginia
Throughout, he never strays far from the true target of his ire: Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. Blankenship blames Manchin not only for much of what’s wrong with West Virginia, but also for helping put him behind bars.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-03-19/the-ex-con-coal-baron-running-for-senate-in-west-virginia
So just how evil is Don Blankenship? Well, he’s so evil that the GOP is fearing that they’ll have another Roy Moore style scandal brewing in West Virginia. Hey, we can only hope!
National Republicans — on the heels of the Roy Moore and Rick Saccone debacles — worry they’re staring down their latest potential midterm election fiasco: coal baron and recent federal prisoner Don Blankenship.
With Blankenship skyrocketing in the West Virginia Republican Senate primary and blanketing the airwaves with ads assailing his fractured field of rivals as career politicians, senior party officials are wrestling with how, or even whether, to intervene. Many of them are convinced that Blankenship, who served a one-year sentence after the deadly 2010 explosion at his Upper Big Branch Mine, would be a surefire loser against Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin — and potentially become a national stain for the party.
The discussions have intensified over the past few weeks. During separate meetings with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, aides to Blankenship’s two primary opponents, Rep. Evan Jenkins and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, pointed to Blankenship’s traction and questioned what could be done to stop him. The Senate GOP campaign arm, which heard out the appeals, recently commissioned a survey to gauge the coal king’s electoral strength and determine his staying power in the race.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/20/west-virginia-senate-republicans-blankenship-472050
With Blankenship skyrocketing in the West Virginia Republican Senate primary and blanketing the airwaves with ads assailing his fractured field of rivals as career politicians, senior party officials are wrestling with how, or even whether, to intervene. Many of them are convinced that Blankenship, who served a one-year sentence after the deadly 2010 explosion at his Upper Big Branch Mine, would be a surefire loser against Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin — and potentially become a national stain for the party.
The discussions have intensified over the past few weeks. During separate meetings with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, aides to Blankenship’s two primary opponents, Rep. Evan Jenkins and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, pointed to Blankenship’s traction and questioned what could be done to stop him. The Senate GOP campaign arm, which heard out the appeals, recently commissioned a survey to gauge the coal king’s electoral strength and determine his staying power in the race.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/20/west-virginia-senate-republicans-blankenship-472050
Oh come on! Blankenship is too evil for even evil Spongebob! And you don’t want to double cross evil Spongebob! You will not like evil Spongebob! But at least the protestors will hopefully shut him down!
When Don Blankenship came to the WVU Mountainlair, so did protesters.
Minutes after Blankenship, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate and the former CEO of Massey Energy, began talking during a town hall on Thursday, a protester left her seat to place roses on Blankenship's podium.
“These are for Richard K. Lane,” said the protester, who then walked out of the room.
Around 20 others followed her lead, shouting the names of victims of the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster.
Several protesters screamed profanities. One tore the Don Blankenship sign off the podium and left with it.
The protesters gathered outside the closed door and began singing as Blankenship continued to speak.
http://www.thedaonline.com/news/don-blankenship-faces-protesters-during-morgantown-town-hall/article_874fa706-1dc4-11e8-ad45-bf749e1d4ecc.html
Minutes after Blankenship, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate and the former CEO of Massey Energy, began talking during a town hall on Thursday, a protester left her seat to place roses on Blankenship's podium.
“These are for Richard K. Lane,” said the protester, who then walked out of the room.
Around 20 others followed her lead, shouting the names of victims of the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster.
Several protesters screamed profanities. One tore the Don Blankenship sign off the podium and left with it.
The protesters gathered outside the closed door and began singing as Blankenship continued to speak.
http://www.thedaonline.com/news/don-blankenship-faces-protesters-during-morgantown-town-hall/article_874fa706-1dc4-11e8-ad45-bf749e1d4ecc.html
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[font size="8"]Swatting: How Is This Still A Thing?
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Time Once Again To Ask:
This week: Swatting. How is this still a thing? The practice of swatting was popularized in the late 2000s by bored teenagers who had an internet connection and way too much time on their hands. But its’ origins may date back to the 1970s, when prank calling people was still a thing. But this week there have been an alarming and exponential increase in the use of the tactics of swatting.
A call of shots fired that sent scores of heavily armed officers to a Northwestern University graduate dorm Wednesday afternoon was apparently a case of “swatting,” a false emergency designed to draw a large police response.
A caller reached the Evanston police from somewhere near Rockford around 2:15 p.m. and said he had shot his girlfriend at Engelhart Hall, just west of the main campus at Emerson Street and Maple Avenue.
Alerts were issued and teams of police were dispatched, but officers found the woman — a Northwestern student — unharmed with “no evidence of a victim, scene or gunman,” said Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew, a spokesman for the department.
“That residence has been vacant since before Thanksgiving,” Glew said of the dorm room at Engelhart. “We’re preparing to call it a swatting incident. ... She was not in any danger.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-northwestern-university-shots-fired-evanston-20180314-story.html
A caller reached the Evanston police from somewhere near Rockford around 2:15 p.m. and said he had shot his girlfriend at Engelhart Hall, just west of the main campus at Emerson Street and Maple Avenue.
Alerts were issued and teams of police were dispatched, but officers found the woman — a Northwestern student — unharmed with “no evidence of a victim, scene or gunman,” said Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew, a spokesman for the department.
“That residence has been vacant since before Thanksgiving,” Glew said of the dorm room at Engelhart. “We’re preparing to call it a swatting incident. ... She was not in any danger.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-northwestern-university-shots-fired-evanston-20180314-story.html
Yes, holy shit indeed. So what started out as an innocent prank call led to the swat team descending upon an entire building full of panicked people and shots being fired. Isn’t living in 2018 America fucking great? But if you think this was an isolated incident, think again!
A bogus 911 call that prompted a large law enforcement response in San Marcos and was determined to be a case of "swatting" was traced back to Michigan, the San Diego Sheriff's Department (SDSO) said Thursday.
At least a dozen deputies descended on the San Elijo neighborhood of San Marcos at about 2 p.m. Wednesday after a 911 caller reported that a man had shot his girlfriend and wanted to shoot himself.
Deputies found the person reported as the shooter, who was "shocked" to see law enforcement at his door, SDSO Lt. Eddie Brock said.
It was determined no shots had been fired and no crime had been committed.
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Fake-Call-Prompts-Large-Deputy-Response-to-San-Marcos-Neighborhood-476884623.html
At least a dozen deputies descended on the San Elijo neighborhood of San Marcos at about 2 p.m. Wednesday after a 911 caller reported that a man had shot his girlfriend and wanted to shoot himself.
Deputies found the person reported as the shooter, who was "shocked" to see law enforcement at his door, SDSO Lt. Eddie Brock said.
It was determined no shots had been fired and no crime had been committed.
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Fake-Call-Prompts-Large-Deputy-Response-to-San-Marcos-Neighborhood-476884623.html
Wait, wait, wait, wait… how can police not do some background checks on prank calls? This is absolutely absurd. Swatting is a huge waste of resources just for stirring up stupid shit. And there was yet *ANOTHER* incident in Maryland this week. This is getting ridiculous.
WHEATON, Md. - Police say they found a home in Montgomery County unoccupied after a report of a possible hostage situation was received and are now investigating to see if the incident was a 'swatting' hoax.
The call for a possible barricade and hostage situation was received Thursday morning. Officers say the incident was reported around 10:30 a.m. to a house on Ferrara Drive in Wheaton.
Police originally said the incident was reported as a domestic incident with a possible hostage. Dozens of officers and emergency crews responded to the area of Ferrara Drive and Indigo Road Staging areas were set up and several roads int he area were closed.
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/police-on-scene-of-barricade-situation-in-wheaton
The call for a possible barricade and hostage situation was received Thursday morning. Officers say the incident was reported around 10:30 a.m. to a house on Ferrara Drive in Wheaton.
Police originally said the incident was reported as a domestic incident with a possible hostage. Dozens of officers and emergency crews responded to the area of Ferrara Drive and Indigo Road Staging areas were set up and several roads int he area were closed.
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/police-on-scene-of-barricade-situation-in-wheaton
Yes, Swatting is just like that clip from Seinfeld – only no book theft was involved. And in case you’re wondering how much the average Swatting call costs, well, the numbers are staggering. People, seriously, don’t swat. It costs us and it costs you.
The third, much more difficult problem, is the relative ease with which individuals can operate relatively anonymously on the internet, using free VoIP numbers, encrypted communications, proxy servers that obscure internet protocol addresses, and similar technologies.
As Finley demonstrated, it’s not impossible to hunt down suspects who use these technologies – it’s just extremely time-consuming and resource-intensive. Finley estimates he spent more than a thousand hours tracking down those two teenagers, neither of whom will spend much time behind bars, yet this is a crime that can cost police departments as much as $100,000 per incident and could result in fatalities. It’s a crime they’re far more motivated to solve than, say, threats issued via Twitter.
Despite all this, there are some who argue that the ability to remain anonymous on the internet is essential, and a sign of a healthy government. “The ability to speak anonymously enables people to express minority opinions,”said Greg Norcie, staff technologist for the Center for Democracy & Technology. “We’re not going to have a situation where we always solve every crime. If you create a situation where society is without crime and risk, it ends up being very totalitarian.”
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/15/swatting-law-teens-anonymous-prank-call-police
As Finley demonstrated, it’s not impossible to hunt down suspects who use these technologies – it’s just extremely time-consuming and resource-intensive. Finley estimates he spent more than a thousand hours tracking down those two teenagers, neither of whom will spend much time behind bars, yet this is a crime that can cost police departments as much as $100,000 per incident and could result in fatalities. It’s a crime they’re far more motivated to solve than, say, threats issued via Twitter.
Despite all this, there are some who argue that the ability to remain anonymous on the internet is essential, and a sign of a healthy government. “The ability to speak anonymously enables people to express minority opinions,”said Greg Norcie, staff technologist for the Center for Democracy & Technology. “We’re not going to have a situation where we always solve every crime. If you create a situation where society is without crime and risk, it ends up being very totalitarian.”
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/15/swatting-law-teens-anonymous-prank-call-police
That’s right – each crank call to a police department can cost upwards of $100,000 or more. Yes, the same number as on chocolate candy bars is how much it costs you to make a SWAT call. And like this incident in California proves – it can also have serious consequences and get you in serious trouble with the law!
It appears Andrew Finch's "swatting" death began with an online session of "Call of Duty: WWII." It's a violent video game designed to emulate combat as seen from a soldier's point of view.
But no one is supposed to die. Not in real life.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles prosecutors filed a warrant aimed at sending Tyler Barriss, 25, the California man suspected of swatting Finch, to Sedgwick County, Kansas, to face a felony false alarm charge.
Swatting is the act of making a false police report -- usually of an urgent or violent crime -- to lure law enforcement or SWAT teams to a location.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/us/kansas-police-shooting-swatting/index.html
But no one is supposed to die. Not in real life.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles prosecutors filed a warrant aimed at sending Tyler Barriss, 25, the California man suspected of swatting Finch, to Sedgwick County, Kansas, to face a felony false alarm charge.
Swatting is the act of making a false police report -- usually of an urgent or violent crime -- to lure law enforcement or SWAT teams to a location.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/us/kansas-police-shooting-swatting/index.html
Yes, as the old saying goes – don’t get mad, get even. Think of swatting like playing a game of Russian roulette – shoot once fine. Shoot twice, boom. But one thing that the increased use of swatting is showing is that it’s exposing just how violent police can be:
Even taking the police narrative as fact in all of these stories, the outcomes emphasize the need for police officers — particularly those who respond to volatile situations — to be trained in de-escalation, to be screened for hotheads and to be trained to tame their own fear and anxiety. Because sometimes a rifle really is just a pellet gun. Sometimes a hostage situation is a prank. Sometimes a dispatcher gets it wrong. And sometimes a man “reaching for his waistband” is just trying to pull up his pants.
But these stories also show that what the police claim to have seen isn’t what happened. Here at The Watch, we’ve catalogued a litany of cases in which police claimed to have seen unarmed men reaching for their waistbands. No doubt some of them were, so that they could pull up their pants. Even if all of these suspects really did reach for their waistbands, the fact that so many were unarmed would seem to demand that police be trained to understand that reaching for one’s waistband does not necessarily mean one is reaching for a gun and that such an act, in and of itself, doesn’t merit lethal force. It would seem to demand that the courts emphasize this point as well.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2018/01/04/deadly-swatting-hoaxes-and-the-dangerous-conditioning-of-cops/?utm_term=.edfb89a218f7
But these stories also show that what the police claim to have seen isn’t what happened. Here at The Watch, we’ve catalogued a litany of cases in which police claimed to have seen unarmed men reaching for their waistbands. No doubt some of them were, so that they could pull up their pants. Even if all of these suspects really did reach for their waistbands, the fact that so many were unarmed would seem to demand that police be trained to understand that reaching for one’s waistband does not necessarily mean one is reaching for a gun and that such an act, in and of itself, doesn’t merit lethal force. It would seem to demand that the courts emphasize this point as well.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2018/01/04/deadly-swatting-hoaxes-and-the-dangerous-conditioning-of-cops/?utm_term=.edfb89a218f7
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So there you have it. There’s high cost, it could get you killed or arrested, and increasingly hostile police mean that anything can happen. That’s enough to make you ask – Swatting:
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[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 is our weekly duty to tell you why the holiest among us are the most full of:
How great is our Top 10 Gospel Choir? Give it up for them! Now you may be seated, my fair congregation! So… the Good LAWRD has brought us together once again! I will begin this week by asking the same question I have asked the last few weeks. And in this time of healing after a national tragedy who do you turn to for guidance? Well, you definitely don’t turn to this guy!
Radical right-wing pastor Kevin Swanson was not impressed with yesterday’s nationwide walkout in which thousands of students left school to protest gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting last month at a Florida high school, saying that the fact that the movement is being led by young people is a sign that America is under the judgment of God.
On his “Generations” radio program today, Swanson read a passage from Isaiah in which God threatened to punish Judah by warning that “I will give children to be their princes and babes shall rule over them.”
“This is the curse that God places upon nations,” Swanson said. “The people will be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor. The child will be insolent toward the elder and the base towards the honorable. As for my people, children are their oppressors and women shall rule over them. Oh my people, those who lead you cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths.”
“In other words, the young folks have all this revolutionary zeal but no real wisdom to govern what they are doing,” he said. “This is the result of the breaking of the commandment of God. Things are not going well with us in the land, we are not seeing things going well for tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of people across the country largely because the massive violation of the Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother.”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/kevin-swanson-gun-control-activism-by-young-people-is-a-sign-of-gods-judgment-on-america/
On his “Generations” radio program today, Swanson read a passage from Isaiah in which God threatened to punish Judah by warning that “I will give children to be their princes and babes shall rule over them.”
“This is the curse that God places upon nations,” Swanson said. “The people will be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor. The child will be insolent toward the elder and the base towards the honorable. As for my people, children are their oppressors and women shall rule over them. Oh my people, those who lead you cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths.”
“In other words, the young folks have all this revolutionary zeal but no real wisdom to govern what they are doing,” he said. “This is the result of the breaking of the commandment of God. Things are not going well with us in the land, we are not seeing things going well for tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of people across the country largely because the massive violation of the Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother.”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/kevin-swanson-gun-control-activism-by-young-people-is-a-sign-of-gods-judgment-on-america/
Excuse me a minute, my fair congregation!
OK, I am back. But seriously now the Christian right has gone off the hook batshit crazy! Because, as we say, my fair congregation, that the holiest among us are also the most full of holy shit! Especially this guy – Mike Shoesmith, who claims that our dearly departed Brother Stephen Hawking, was kept alive by – wait for it – demons! YES DEMONS WALK AMONG US!!!!
On his radio program last week, Donald Trump-loving pastor, conspiracy theorist and birther Carl Gallups interviewed Mike Shoesmith, the executive editor of PNN News, who claimed that famed physicist Stephen Hawking was able to live for decades with ALS because he was being kept alive by demons.
Shoesmith, who normally appears on Gallups’ program to complain about women, insisted that it was no coincidence that Hawking died just weeks after Billy Graham passed away, explaining that Graham’s ministry “really kicked off” in 1942, which prompted the devil to use Hawking, who was born in 1942, to counter Graham’s preaching.
“[Graham] is a hundred percent devoted,” Shoesmith said. “The Lord sees his heart, gives him a tremendous ministry, and who do you think is sitting in the background going, ‘I have to do something about this, this guy is sold out, I have to do something’? Who do you think is sitting in the background doing that? The devil, right?”
“So, in 1942, that is when Billy Graham’s ministry really takes off, and who do you think was born in 1942?” he continued. “Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking comes from a long line of atheists—his father and all these people—so I believe the devil said, ‘OK, this guy was just born and I’m going to use this guy. This guy is already primed to accept my message that there is no God. He is already primed for it, he is going to be awash, immersed in atheism all his years as a child, I’m going to take over this guy’s life.'”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/mike-shoesmith-i-believe-stephen-hawking-was-kept-alive-by-demonic-forces/
Shoesmith, who normally appears on Gallups’ program to complain about women, insisted that it was no coincidence that Hawking died just weeks after Billy Graham passed away, explaining that Graham’s ministry “really kicked off” in 1942, which prompted the devil to use Hawking, who was born in 1942, to counter Graham’s preaching.
“[Graham] is a hundred percent devoted,” Shoesmith said. “The Lord sees his heart, gives him a tremendous ministry, and who do you think is sitting in the background going, ‘I have to do something about this, this guy is sold out, I have to do something’? Who do you think is sitting in the background doing that? The devil, right?”
“So, in 1942, that is when Billy Graham’s ministry really takes off, and who do you think was born in 1942?” he continued. “Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking comes from a long line of atheists—his father and all these people—so I believe the devil said, ‘OK, this guy was just born and I’m going to use this guy. This guy is already primed to accept my message that there is no God. He is already primed for it, he is going to be awash, immersed in atheism all his years as a child, I’m going to take over this guy’s life.'”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/mike-shoesmith-i-believe-stephen-hawking-was-kept-alive-by-demonic-forces/
Pfff… that dang science! Who needs it??? Because there are DEMONS WALKING AMONG US!!! They must be vanquished by the good lord JAYSUS!!! For after all he is the creator of all things good and holy, can I get an amen??? But demons exist within our own administration! Because apparently our GAWD has taken the form of president Donald J. Trump and is casting demons out!!
Self-proclaimed “firefighter prophet” and right-wing conspiracy theorist Mark Taylor made another appearance on Greg Hunter’s “USAWatchdog” program over the weekend, where he explained that all of the turnover within the Trump administration is simply God removing people from office because they are not on board with His plan to use President Trump to save America.
“As far as the White House is concerned, these people that are getting cut,” Taylor said. “God is separating the wheat from the chaff right now. If you are not on board with God’s vision—and people can blame this on Donald Trump all they want to, but Donald Trump was put in there to institute God’s vision, so you are either on board with God’s vision or you’re gone. It’s as simple as that.”
“We had the biggest victory November 8 that we have ever had in this country,” he said later. “That was Donald Trump becoming president, setting the New World Order way back—I think it’s longer than a 25 or 30 year period because when they start arresting these people, there is no telling how long it is going to devastate the New World Order.”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/mark-taylor-those-who-are-not-on-board-with-gods-vision-are-being-removed-from-the-trump-administration/
“As far as the White House is concerned, these people that are getting cut,” Taylor said. “God is separating the wheat from the chaff right now. If you are not on board with God’s vision—and people can blame this on Donald Trump all they want to, but Donald Trump was put in there to institute God’s vision, so you are either on board with God’s vision or you’re gone. It’s as simple as that.”
“We had the biggest victory November 8 that we have ever had in this country,” he said later. “That was Donald Trump becoming president, setting the New World Order way back—I think it’s longer than a 25 or 30 year period because when they start arresting these people, there is no telling how long it is going to devastate the New World Order.”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/mark-taylor-those-who-are-not-on-board-with-gods-vision-are-being-removed-from-the-trump-administration/
Yes, and we cast you out as well!!! But fear not – Brother Franklin has a solution! If you fear that demons exist, simply become a republican president of the United States! Because you will be cleansed of your sins!!!
Far-right pastor Franklin Graham claims that Trump has yet ‘to sin’ once since becoming President.
Far-right pastor Franklin Graham claims that Trump has yet ‘to sin’ once since becoming President. According to the Washington Post, Trump lied a reported 2,140 time during his first year in office. Last time we checked, lying is a sin.
https://www.themaven.net/theintellectualist/news/franklin-graham-trump-stopped-sinning-when-he-became-president-vk4sJpTaOEaCzGcrLJGSAA
Far-right pastor Franklin Graham claims that Trump has yet ‘to sin’ once since becoming President. According to the Washington Post, Trump lied a reported 2,140 time during his first year in office. Last time we checked, lying is a sin.
https://www.themaven.net/theintellectualist/news/franklin-graham-trump-stopped-sinning-when-he-became-president-vk4sJpTaOEaCzGcrLJGSAA
Now Brother Franklin, tell me, how does getting spanked with a copy of a magazine picturing thyself not qualify as a sin? Because it certainly is a sin in our book! I can even point you the right chapter and verse where it even says so! But fear not, my fair congregation! For the evil forces of bad nature are descending upon Washington, and only one person can save them!!!
Last night, right-wing preacher Lance Wallnau streamed a video on Periscope in which he prayed for President Trump and against Democratic efforts to gain control of Congress in the 2018 elections.
“Those in our own nation that are arming themselves to destroy the will of Your people, the will of a justly elected person,” Wallnau prayed, “Lord, we overturn the Ides of March, the conspiracies and the councils of death and destruction that would try to take this man out of office.”
Wallnau warned that if “the midterm elections prove that the fury and froth and madness stirred up by propaganda by the left” is effective enough to shift control of Congress, then this nation will never have peace or unity because “there is a corrupt root so strongly embedded” in the Democrats.
“I’m telling you now,” Wallnau declared, “the spirit of darkness wants to neutralize this presidency in September [sic] of 2018, but we decree and declare that there is a turning over of the tables for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen, for that reason this man was given a title a honor as president. Though he did not know God fully when he started, he knows that there is a God of Israel right now. Father, we pray, though you have been a God who hides himself, that you will now reveal your arm and foil even the false signs of false prognosticators, counselors, coordinators and schemers working within the political apparatus, the media apparatus, the television, the entertainment, the grassroots organizing, even to dry up the resources of those who are using their wealth as a mechanism to choke the future of the United States.”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/lance-wallnau-the-spirit-of-darkness-wants-to-neutralize-this-presidency/
“Those in our own nation that are arming themselves to destroy the will of Your people, the will of a justly elected person,” Wallnau prayed, “Lord, we overturn the Ides of March, the conspiracies and the councils of death and destruction that would try to take this man out of office.”
Wallnau warned that if “the midterm elections prove that the fury and froth and madness stirred up by propaganda by the left” is effective enough to shift control of Congress, then this nation will never have peace or unity because “there is a corrupt root so strongly embedded” in the Democrats.
“I’m telling you now,” Wallnau declared, “the spirit of darkness wants to neutralize this presidency in September [sic] of 2018, but we decree and declare that there is a turning over of the tables for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen, for that reason this man was given a title a honor as president. Though he did not know God fully when he started, he knows that there is a God of Israel right now. Father, we pray, though you have been a God who hides himself, that you will now reveal your arm and foil even the false signs of false prognosticators, counselors, coordinators and schemers working within the political apparatus, the media apparatus, the television, the entertainment, the grassroots organizing, even to dry up the resources of those who are using their wealth as a mechanism to choke the future of the United States.”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/lance-wallnau-the-spirit-of-darkness-wants-to-neutralize-this-presidency/
Yes, because even JAYSUS doesn’t know what to say, Brother Lance! But the take away I hope you get from today’s sermon is that even though there may be demons everywhere, just remember that we need to stop the demons and god haters!!
On his television program today, End Times prepper pastor Jim Bakker warned that liberals in America hate God so much that they are working to remove all the crosses from Arlington National Cemetery.
“Don’t touch God’s anointed,” Bakker said. “You are going to see some things happen, you are going to say, ‘My God, my God, why are people falling over dead?’ Because they have touched God’s anointed.”
Bakker fumed that people are “are so sick in America that they don’t respect anything” and have even “blasphemed Billy Graham’s memory.”
“They don’t respect God,” he said. “You know what they are talking about they’re going to do now? They’re going to remove all the crosses at the great cemetery in Washington.”
www.rightwingwatch.org/post/jim-bakker-god-haters-are-working-to-remove-all-the-crosses-from-arlington-national-cemetery/
“Don’t touch God’s anointed,” Bakker said. “You are going to see some things happen, you are going to say, ‘My God, my God, why are people falling over dead?’ Because they have touched God’s anointed.”
Bakker fumed that people are “are so sick in America that they don’t respect anything” and have even “blasphemed Billy Graham’s memory.”
“They don’t respect God,” he said. “You know what they are talking about they’re going to do now? They’re going to remove all the crosses at the great cemetery in Washington.”
www.rightwingwatch.org/post/jim-bakker-god-haters-are-working-to-remove-all-the-crosses-from-arlington-national-cemetery/
Yes, even JAYSUS is speechless on this one! There you have it folks, demons do walk among us and they take the form of the most godly among us! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:
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[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Our Stan Lee Cameo
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Presenting the finest in arm-chair based investigative journalism. It’s now time for:
Stan Lee. He’s the man, the myth, the legend behind some of the world’s biggest comic book properties and the creator of Marvel Comics. He’s the Hugh Hefner of the comic book world. And his name is synonymous with a celebrity movie cameo. In fact a Google search for “Stan Lee cameos” yields hundreds of sites dedicated to the man’s cameos in his own movies. But recently audit reports came back from Stan The Man’s estate. And well it’s not pretty.
Considering the fact Stan Lee helped create pretty much every single one of the world's most popular superheroes and has an executive producer credit on almost every Marvel movie, you wouldn't think that money would be an issue for him. However, a new report from The Daily Beast reveals that his finances are in a state of disarray because people around Lee are taking advantage of the elderly creator of beloved characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, The Avengers, and The Incredible Hulk.
One anonymous source describes the situation as "a real f***ing mess" and notes that over the past few months, Lee has lost $1.4 million due to technical issues with a wire transfer, while $300,000 was removed from one of Lee's bank accounts with an allegedly unauthorized cheque made out to Hands of Respect, a company owned by his daughter JC's former business partner, Jerry Olivarez.
That was founded by Lee and Olivarez but the former claims to have not seen any profits from the company despite the fact that a promise was made that it would generate a lot of money. Is Olivarez a con-man? Who knows but sources tell the site that a lot of people are now in Stan and his daughter's life, taking advantage of them in a big to make money off the vulnerable comic book creator.
"[JC’s] she’s never met a con man she doesn’t like, you know?" notes the so-called family insider. "Stan is not a whole lot better. Maybe their contemporaries and friends are all dead, and now they just have a bunch of hangers-on and sketchy-ass people hanging around. I have the feeling that he has been taken by everyone in the world."
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/comics/marvel_comics/avengers-creator-stan-lee-could-die-broke-as-the-marvel-comics-legend-gets-picked-apart-by-vultures-a158603
One anonymous source describes the situation as "a real f***ing mess" and notes that over the past few months, Lee has lost $1.4 million due to technical issues with a wire transfer, while $300,000 was removed from one of Lee's bank accounts with an allegedly unauthorized cheque made out to Hands of Respect, a company owned by his daughter JC's former business partner, Jerry Olivarez.
That was founded by Lee and Olivarez but the former claims to have not seen any profits from the company despite the fact that a promise was made that it would generate a lot of money. Is Olivarez a con-man? Who knows but sources tell the site that a lot of people are now in Stan and his daughter's life, taking advantage of them in a big to make money off the vulnerable comic book creator.
"[JC’s] she’s never met a con man she doesn’t like, you know?" notes the so-called family insider. "Stan is not a whole lot better. Maybe their contemporaries and friends are all dead, and now they just have a bunch of hangers-on and sketchy-ass people hanging around. I have the feeling that he has been taken by everyone in the world."
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/comics/marvel_comics/avengers-creator-stan-lee-could-die-broke-as-the-marvel-comics-legend-gets-picked-apart-by-vultures-a158603
So this is actually a pretty scary financial situation regarding Stan The Man. And it’s not looking like it’s going to get any better. So here’s more about this situation.
You’d imagine that—as one of the most important people in comics history, who always happens to have executive produced and had cameos in all of Marvel’s films—Stan Lee wouldn’t exactly have to worry about money. But according to a report from The Daily Beast, Lee’s finances are in a state of disarray thanks to people in his orbit who’ve been taking advantage of him in order to get to his wealth.
Described by one anonymous source as “a real fucking mess,” Lee’s current situation is a complicated one. Over the course of the past few months, Lee lost $1.4 million due to a technical issue with a wire transfer and $300,000 was removed one of Lee’s bank accounts with an allegedly unauthorized check made out to Hands of Respect, an organization that he’s no longer a part of. Hands of Respect was a charity of sorts founded by Lee and Jerry Olivarez, his daughter JC’s former business partner.
Though Hands of Respect was a for-profit company that prominently featured Lee’s involvement in promotional materials, the Lee family claims that they’ve yet to see any profits and are currently looking into auditing the business. Speaking about the partnership, JC cast it in a negative light:
https://io9.gizmodo.com/report-things-arent-going-so-well-for-stan-lee-1823696358
Described by one anonymous source as “a real fucking mess,” Lee’s current situation is a complicated one. Over the course of the past few months, Lee lost $1.4 million due to a technical issue with a wire transfer and $300,000 was removed one of Lee’s bank accounts with an allegedly unauthorized check made out to Hands of Respect, an organization that he’s no longer a part of. Hands of Respect was a charity of sorts founded by Lee and Jerry Olivarez, his daughter JC’s former business partner.
Though Hands of Respect was a for-profit company that prominently featured Lee’s involvement in promotional materials, the Lee family claims that they’ve yet to see any profits and are currently looking into auditing the business. Speaking about the partnership, JC cast it in a negative light:
https://io9.gizmodo.com/report-things-arent-going-so-well-for-stan-lee-1823696358
Yes, Stan Lee might actually have to take a job as a UPS driver looking for guys with names like Tony Stank. But his dire financial situation may leave a ripple effect on the entire comic book industry. Yes, be afraid. Be very afraid.
I have received similar concern from high levels at Marvel Comics, including from those who don’t like Anderson, but do appreciate what Max has done for Stan, keeping him active and alive, as both a manager and a close friend to the man.
While I understand that there was friction between Stan Lee, JC Lee, Max Anderson and other business partners, the loss of Stan’s wife Joanne Lee seems to have brought things to a head.
The Daily Mail has exclusively run a number of reports alleging that Stan Lee abused and harassed nursing and healthcare individuals, and Max Anderson was first intimated and then named as being involved with these incidents, even being the instigator. And of a further incident at Stan’s home.
They also brought up charges from Anderson’s past on domestic abuse involving his wife in 2002 and his son in 2010, the first of which he spent time in jail for and the second of which, he was on probation. I understand that Stan was aware of these convictions.
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/03/02/comics-industry-concern-stan-lee-situation/
While I understand that there was friction between Stan Lee, JC Lee, Max Anderson and other business partners, the loss of Stan’s wife Joanne Lee seems to have brought things to a head.
The Daily Mail has exclusively run a number of reports alleging that Stan Lee abused and harassed nursing and healthcare individuals, and Max Anderson was first intimated and then named as being involved with these incidents, even being the instigator. And of a further incident at Stan’s home.
They also brought up charges from Anderson’s past on domestic abuse involving his wife in 2002 and his son in 2010, the first of which he spent time in jail for and the second of which, he was on probation. I understand that Stan was aware of these convictions.
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/03/02/comics-industry-concern-stan-lee-situation/
Yes, maybe Stan should call on the Hulk to smash this into oblivion. Because he’s in a deep state of financial burden and it doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon. Especially when you factor that he’s been taken for quite a large sum of money.
Two San Bernardino men have been arrested and charged with felonies for the alleged theft of a trove of Marvel Comics collectibles valued at $1.4 million.
Some of the items recovered include movie props such as “Captain America” shields, the arm and hand of Nebula from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” an Einherjar shield from “Thor,” an “Iron Man” mask, and a set of X-23 claws from “Logan.” Signed artwork by retired Marvel publisher Stan Lee and a special edition “Spider-Man” electric guitar were also recovered.
The investigation by the San Bernardino County sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station began Feb. 22 when the unidentified collector received word that several of his Marvel items were appearing for sale on the internet, leading him to discover his storage facility had been burglarized.
One of the alleged suspects was identified from information he had provided interested buyers, a release from the Sheriff’s Department said.
Detectives developed leads and Ian Florez, 35, of San Bernardino was arrested Feb. 24 on a warrant. Court records show a not guilty plea on charges of grand theft and burglary. He’s currently free on bond.
https://www.dailybulletin.com/2018/03/12/marvel-comics-collectibles-valued-at-1-4-million-recovered-in-rancho-cucamonga-theft-investigation/
Some of the items recovered include movie props such as “Captain America” shields, the arm and hand of Nebula from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” an Einherjar shield from “Thor,” an “Iron Man” mask, and a set of X-23 claws from “Logan.” Signed artwork by retired Marvel publisher Stan Lee and a special edition “Spider-Man” electric guitar were also recovered.
The investigation by the San Bernardino County sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station began Feb. 22 when the unidentified collector received word that several of his Marvel items were appearing for sale on the internet, leading him to discover his storage facility had been burglarized.
One of the alleged suspects was identified from information he had provided interested buyers, a release from the Sheriff’s Department said.
Detectives developed leads and Ian Florez, 35, of San Bernardino was arrested Feb. 24 on a warrant. Court records show a not guilty plea on charges of grand theft and burglary. He’s currently free on bond.
https://www.dailybulletin.com/2018/03/12/marvel-comics-collectibles-valued-at-1-4-million-recovered-in-rancho-cucamonga-theft-investigation/
Yes, that is a good question, Cap. What are you going to do to make things right? Well, this is a very sticky situation that needs to be resolved with Stan Lee. And we will keep an eye on this situation as it develops. That concludes this week. Good day.
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[font size="8"]The Alt Right
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If you’ve played the amazing game Super Mario Odyssey, you will probably know where I’m going with this next entry. So if Donald Trump is Bowser, the Alt Right are like Bowser’s minions in the game – known as the Broodals. The same assholes (Cernovich, Posobiec, Loomer, Lahren, Spencer, Alex Jones) show up to ruin every party, their abilities get crazier and crazier, but you have to fight them. And the fights get more intense every time. And when you kick them down, they get right back up again. So case in point – when you fight them out of CPAC, what do they do? Start their own conference!
Ali Akbar, a political operative in the self-described “New Right” movement, formally announced yesterday that a “team of 25 professionals” are working to create a right-wing political conference meant to be an alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which has served as the primary gathering of the conservative movement for decades.
Akbar, with the help of a signal boost from pro-Trump pundit and activist Jack Posobiec, announced yesterday that the “American Priority” conference will take place in Washington, D.C. in early September. Akbar is organizing the conference with Alex Phillips, a conservative donor who owns a small telecom company in Virginia. Posobiec told Right Wing Watch that he helped announce the event, but otherwise is not formally involved in organizing it.
The group has also hired Lisa DePasquale, who directed CPAC while working for the American Conservative Union from 2006 to 2011, to help host the conference.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/pro-trump-activists-are-creating-their-own-maga-alternative-to-cpac/
Akbar, with the help of a signal boost from pro-Trump pundit and activist Jack Posobiec, announced yesterday that the “American Priority” conference will take place in Washington, D.C. in early September. Akbar is organizing the conference with Alex Phillips, a conservative donor who owns a small telecom company in Virginia. Posobiec told Right Wing Watch that he helped announce the event, but otherwise is not formally involved in organizing it.
The group has also hired Lisa DePasquale, who directed CPAC while working for the American Conservative Union from 2006 to 2011, to help host the conference.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/pro-trump-activists-are-creating-their-own-maga-alternative-to-cpac/
So now things are getting interesting! Yes – we have an entirely new conference to ignore! I mean “alt right”, “new right”, “alt lite”, who gives a shit what they’re called this week? We should just start calling them what they really are – Nazis! And by the way doesn’t “alt lite” sound like it should be some sort of new diet soda? Try new Alt Lite today! Now with 50% more cucks! And speaking of that, last week, after the epic fail at Michigan State University (and no, I’m not counting their epic loss to Syracuse last week), Richard Spencer decided to call it quits.
Instead, it turned into a disaster, as restaurants and clubs booted Spencer and his followers seeking to hold a meeting/party and more people were arrested outside of his speech than heard it inside.
Spencer spoke at the agricultural pavilion on the East Lansing, Michigan campus on Monday. But, only about a dozen people turned out to hear the speech as more than 200 students, professors, antifa activists and anarchists protested outside on a cold, windy overcast day.
And, while the dozen made it in after getting a police escort through a gauntlet of taunts and cheers to “Nazis Go Home!” 24 people, including Gregory Conte, a Spencer ally and operations director for the National Policy Institute, were arrested.
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/03/06/richard-spencer-had-very-bad-terrible-no-good-weekend-capped-sparsely-attended-speech
Spencer spoke at the agricultural pavilion on the East Lansing, Michigan campus on Monday. But, only about a dozen people turned out to hear the speech as more than 200 students, professors, antifa activists and anarchists protested outside on a cold, windy overcast day.
And, while the dozen made it in after getting a police escort through a gauntlet of taunts and cheers to “Nazis Go Home!” 24 people, including Gregory Conte, a Spencer ally and operations director for the National Policy Institute, were arrested.
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/03/06/richard-spencer-had-very-bad-terrible-no-good-weekend-capped-sparsely-attended-speech
Well it wont be springtime for Hitler at Richard Spencer’s house. Thank you! And then would you be surprised that the head of an alt whatever organization was arrested for assault on his wife? This story has everything!
Matthew Heimbach, the leader of the Traditionalist Worker Party, is free on bond after being charged with battery in southern Indiana after a bizarre sequence of events involving Heimbach having an affair with his chief spokesman’s wife.
Police in Paoli, Indiana, said Heimbach attacked his wife and TWP spokesman Matt Parrott early Tuesday morning after the two confronted him about the affair with Parrott’s wife.
After the arrest, Parrott announced he was walking away from the group.
“I’m done. I’m out,” Parrott told the Southern Poverty Law Center on Tuesday. “SPLC has won. Matt Parrott is out of the game. Y’all have a nice life.”
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/03/13/twp-chief-matthew-heimbach-arrested-battery-after-affair-top-spokesmans-wife
Police in Paoli, Indiana, said Heimbach attacked his wife and TWP spokesman Matt Parrott early Tuesday morning after the two confronted him about the affair with Parrott’s wife.
After the arrest, Parrott announced he was walking away from the group.
“I’m done. I’m out,” Parrott told the Southern Poverty Law Center on Tuesday. “SPLC has won. Matt Parrott is out of the game. Y’all have a nice life.”
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/03/13/twp-chief-matthew-heimbach-arrested-battery-after-affair-top-spokesmans-wife
Sounds about right! But in case you’re wondering who’s really the charge – who’s really the captain steering this janky ship right now – it’s the alt right! It’s almost as if we’re living in the Matrix!
Condemning neo-Nazis and white nationalists seems like a goal many politicians can get behind (with the possible exception of President Donald Trump).
But, a group of Republican lawmakers in Tennessee opted to let a resolution opposing the racists die in a subcommittee rather than let it go forward.
House Joint Resolution 583 failed to get a second in the House State Government Subcommittee because no one would second a motion to take up the issue.
The resolution condemned bigotry by white nationalists and neo-Nazis. It also stated that Tennessee “and its people will not tolerate discrimination or hate in any form or manifestation.”
Law enforcement agencies would have also been urged to treat such groups as terrorist organizations and investigate criminal elements of the groups in the same way terrorists are handled.
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/03/19/condemn-neo-nazis-tennessee-legislators-opt-let-idea-die-vine
But, a group of Republican lawmakers in Tennessee opted to let a resolution opposing the racists die in a subcommittee rather than let it go forward.
House Joint Resolution 583 failed to get a second in the House State Government Subcommittee because no one would second a motion to take up the issue.
The resolution condemned bigotry by white nationalists and neo-Nazis. It also stated that Tennessee “and its people will not tolerate discrimination or hate in any form or manifestation.”
Law enforcement agencies would have also been urged to treat such groups as terrorist organizations and investigate criminal elements of the groups in the same way terrorists are handled.
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/03/19/condemn-neo-nazis-tennessee-legislators-opt-let-idea-die-vine
And here's where the Alt Right blurs the line between a full cult and just a group with a batshit crazy message. Mike Cernovich claims that he believes in something called "the Gorilla Mindset" and even he's not sure what that means. I mean really he sounds like the Grandmaster from Thor: Ragnarok!
Mike Cernovich, a pro-Trump social media personality and self-declared leader of a movement he calls the “New Right,” claimed that nobody knows his true political beliefs and that the only thing he believes in is the “Gorilla Mindset,” the mentality behind his his self-help book and lifestyle brand.
<snip>
“Don’t you dare say I endorse Louis Farrakhan. Don’t you dare say that when I throw out an idea that people are talking about, that that’s my view. You don’t know what I believe. Nobody knows what I believe. I’ve told people that the only thing that I believe is ‘Gorilla Mindset,’” Cernovich said, referring to his brand of self-help books and nutritional supplements. “I’ve told people that.”
He continued, “People go, ‘What’s your political things, what’s your politics?’ I go, ‘Look, I’m just a vessel for what people are saying. I’m just a talk show host.’ This is what I grew up watching and it was a beautiful time. Geraldo Rivera, you would just bring in people and say, ‘OK, here’s a bunch of crazy people. Here’s what the crazy people are saying.’ The world was a better place. The world was a better place when you could just say, ‘Here’s what all the lunatics are saying. Here’s what’s going on.’”
Cernovich said that this “mindset” is his top priority, and that politics naturally “flow from that.”
“I believe in the power—liberal, conservative, Christian, Jew, Catholic, Muslim, atheist, agnostic—I believe in the power to change your life and I believe that if you adopt a positive mindset that politics is going to flow from that,” Cernovich said.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/mike-cernovich-the-only-thing-i-believe-is-gorilla-mindset/
<snip>
“Don’t you dare say I endorse Louis Farrakhan. Don’t you dare say that when I throw out an idea that people are talking about, that that’s my view. You don’t know what I believe. Nobody knows what I believe. I’ve told people that the only thing that I believe is ‘Gorilla Mindset,’” Cernovich said, referring to his brand of self-help books and nutritional supplements. “I’ve told people that.”
He continued, “People go, ‘What’s your political things, what’s your politics?’ I go, ‘Look, I’m just a vessel for what people are saying. I’m just a talk show host.’ This is what I grew up watching and it was a beautiful time. Geraldo Rivera, you would just bring in people and say, ‘OK, here’s a bunch of crazy people. Here’s what the crazy people are saying.’ The world was a better place. The world was a better place when you could just say, ‘Here’s what all the lunatics are saying. Here’s what’s going on.’”
Cernovich said that this “mindset” is his top priority, and that politics naturally “flow from that.”
“I believe in the power—liberal, conservative, Christian, Jew, Catholic, Muslim, atheist, agnostic—I believe in the power to change your life and I believe that if you adopt a positive mindset that politics is going to flow from that,” Cernovich said.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/mike-cernovich-the-only-thing-i-believe-is-gorilla-mindset/
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[font size="8"]I Need A Drink
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It’s now time for:
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And man I need a drink. I feel like every time Trump fires someone we should all collectively take a shot of something, that way we will get blackout drunk and when we come to, this nightmare of an administration will be over! So tell me, bartender, what goes well with a cheeseburger prepared by a robot? A fuzzy navel? Eh, I’ll just have a large IPA thanks! Ah that’s more like it. So we’re going just slightly north of my hometown to Pasadena for this story. Yes, there is a robot that flips burgers, and yes, it outlasted the employees. But this story is stranger than you would think!
A year after announcing a partnership with Caliburger, Miso Robotics’ resident chef has finally graduated Hamburger University. The AI-enabled line cook starts today, joining the human crew at the fast casual restaurant’s Pasadena location during the lunch shift.
The deal has been in the works for some time, with plans to bring the robot to 50 of the chain’s international locations. Back in September, around the same time Miso CEO Dave Zito was on-stage at Disrupt SF, Flippy was being demoed at the Pasadena restaurant — the robotics’ company’s home turf. Today, however, the first real world implementation of the technology.
The initial appeal of the system is pretty clear for a restaurant like Caliburger, which will no doubt drum up some publicity for its early adoption of robotic kitchen equipment. But along with the other investors that have helped Miso raise a total of $14 million in disclosed funding, there’s hope for long-term benefits in an industry where turnover is a big obstacle in keeping a kitchen up and running.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/05/flippy-the-robot-hamburger-chef-goes-to-work/
The deal has been in the works for some time, with plans to bring the robot to 50 of the chain’s international locations. Back in September, around the same time Miso CEO Dave Zito was on-stage at Disrupt SF, Flippy was being demoed at the Pasadena restaurant — the robotics’ company’s home turf. Today, however, the first real world implementation of the technology.
The initial appeal of the system is pretty clear for a restaurant like Caliburger, which will no doubt drum up some publicity for its early adoption of robotic kitchen equipment. But along with the other investors that have helped Miso raise a total of $14 million in disclosed funding, there’s hope for long-term benefits in an industry where turnover is a big obstacle in keeping a kitchen up and running.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/05/flippy-the-robot-hamburger-chef-goes-to-work/
So Flippy is the… mmm… that’s a good beer right there, but Flippy is the product of mass market research and $14 million of innovation engineering. That’s about the best I can sound like a marketer because otherwise I have no idea what I am talking about! What? I’ve never designed a robot before! Let’s explore further.
"Flippy" the robot has learned the hard way that your co-workers can make or break you.
The burger-flipping robotic fry cook has been temporarily "retired." Why? Because the robot's human colleagues couldn't keep up with it.
Built by Miso Robotics, Flippy, described on the company's website as "the world's first autonomous robotic kitchen assistant," was touted as a high-tech helper for fast-food restaurant kitchens in a statement announcing its unveiling in 2017. Equipped with a spatula-tipped arm, Flippy was built to operate alongside human workers and to increase efficiency in cooking and grill maintenance.
But poor Flippy faced unexpected challenges in meeting the demands of hungry restaurant patrons, and was relieved of his responsibilities after only two days on the job. [The 6 Strangest Robots Ever Created]
But it wasn't Flippy's fault. Rather, the robot's human co-workers weren't able to assemble the burgers as quickly as Flippy could grill the patties, USA Today reported.
.https://www.livescience.com/61994-flippy-burger-flipping-robot-flops.html
The burger-flipping robotic fry cook has been temporarily "retired." Why? Because the robot's human colleagues couldn't keep up with it.
Built by Miso Robotics, Flippy, described on the company's website as "the world's first autonomous robotic kitchen assistant," was touted as a high-tech helper for fast-food restaurant kitchens in a statement announcing its unveiling in 2017. Equipped with a spatula-tipped arm, Flippy was built to operate alongside human workers and to increase efficiency in cooking and grill maintenance.
But poor Flippy faced unexpected challenges in meeting the demands of hungry restaurant patrons, and was relieved of his responsibilities after only two days on the job. [The 6 Strangest Robots Ever Created]
But it wasn't Flippy's fault. Rather, the robot's human co-workers weren't able to assemble the burgers as quickly as Flippy could grill the patties, USA Today reported.
.https://www.livescience.com/61994-flippy-burger-flipping-robot-flops.html
Aw, you can’t fire Flippy! He’s Flippy… he’s a robot! So in case you’re wondering about how Flippy works there’s a lot of interesting stuff here for you people who like to figure that sort of thing out.
Next time you swing by a fast food joint for a burger, don’t be surprised if you see a one-armed robot at work in the kitchen. That’s probably just Flippy the burger-flipping robot doing its job.
Flippy is an autonomous assistant designed to work alongside humans in restaurant kitchens. Created by Miso Robots of Pasadena, California, Flippy recently completed its first shift at a fast food restaurant there — and one day could be put to work in kitchens across the country.
In Pasadena, Flippy is working the lunchtime shift at a CaliBurger restaurant, part of a restaurant chain that also has outlets in Canada, Mexico, and China. But human burger-flippers needn’t flip out about losing their jobs to Flippy; humans are still needed to place the raw patties on the grill and perform other burger-cooking tasks.
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/watch-burger-flipping-robot-get-work-ncna854536
Flippy is an autonomous assistant designed to work alongside humans in restaurant kitchens. Created by Miso Robots of Pasadena, California, Flippy recently completed its first shift at a fast food restaurant there — and one day could be put to work in kitchens across the country.
In Pasadena, Flippy is working the lunchtime shift at a CaliBurger restaurant, part of a restaurant chain that also has outlets in Canada, Mexico, and China. But human burger-flippers needn’t flip out about losing their jobs to Flippy; humans are still needed to place the raw patties on the grill and perform other burger-cooking tasks.
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/watch-burger-flipping-robot-get-work-ncna854536
I really would like to see a robot that can high five itself! Excuse me a minute, I need some more Jack Daniels. Ah, that’s the stuff! So for those of you who are afraid that automation is really what’s going to take your jobs, take comfort in knowing that Flippy won’t be the beginning of the end!
Flippy, the burger-flipping robot has been fired from his job, just one day after starting. Flippy was ‘hired’ by Pasadena Caliburger, with the KPI of cooking 150 burgers an hour.
Unfortunately, the task proved too much for the robot who appears to have given up. At the time of hiring, the CEO of Cali Group the company that runs the burger chain was reported as saying, "The key to success in the restaurant industry is consistency. So anytime you go to a CaliBurger anywhere you know that the patty will be cooked exactly the same.”
Flippy will make a comeback
But it doesn't seem to have worked out. Flippy was developed by Miso Robotics and is actually like a giant robot arm rather than a cute humanoid burger maker.
Flippy used thermal imaging, 3D, and camera vision to sense when to flip the burgers - and when to remove. "It detects the temperature of the patty, the size of the patty and the temperature of the grill surface," explained David Zito, co-founder and chief executive officer of Miso Robotics.
https://interestingengineering.com/flippy-the-burger-making-robot-was-fired-after-just-one-day-at-work
Unfortunately, the task proved too much for the robot who appears to have given up. At the time of hiring, the CEO of Cali Group the company that runs the burger chain was reported as saying, "The key to success in the restaurant industry is consistency. So anytime you go to a CaliBurger anywhere you know that the patty will be cooked exactly the same.”
Flippy will make a comeback
But it doesn't seem to have worked out. Flippy was developed by Miso Robotics and is actually like a giant robot arm rather than a cute humanoid burger maker.
Flippy used thermal imaging, 3D, and camera vision to sense when to flip the burgers - and when to remove. "It detects the temperature of the patty, the size of the patty and the temperature of the grill surface," explained David Zito, co-founder and chief executive officer of Miso Robotics.
https://interestingengineering.com/flippy-the-burger-making-robot-was-fired-after-just-one-day-at-work
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[font size="8"]Stupidest State Contest: Round 1 Week 1
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16 states will enter, but only one will be crowned the new Top 10 Conservative Idiots Stupidest State!
Welcome to Round 1 Week 1 of our Stupidest State contest! We are live in our hometown of Anaheim, California at the Honda Center. We have not one, but two exciting matchups for you. Game 1 will see the team that had the best record in the regular season – Iowa, against long time conference favorite Kentucky! Meanwhile, game #2 will be a big one as Arizona and Montana are going to bring out their big guns in an old west duel to the death in a rematch of last year’s conference championship! And just like the NCAA – the winner will move on. The loser will go home. So let’s get out our brackets!
[font size="6"]Game 1: Batshit Conference – Iowa Vs. Kentucky [/font]
[font size="4"]Kentucky[/font]
Well come on, “United We Stand”, a common phrase for the gun nuts, is in the state flag! That’s the Blue Grass state everybody. It’s the one state in the union that was the first to vote for @realDonaldTrump. Of course we know that this state is the home of our most batshit crazy senators – Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul. It’s also the home of ultra far right fundie nutbag governor Matt Bevin. And it’s the state that gave us religious right celebrity Kim Davis. It’s the home of the University Of Kentucky and their mutli champion basketball team the UK Wildcats. It’s also the home of the Louisville Cardinals who were at the center of one of the dumbest school scandals of all time. But what else is Kentucky the home of? It’s the home of a possible child bride law!
Just when you think the Republican Party can sink no lower, just when you assume the party that supported a child molester for Senate in Alabama and elected an admitted sexual predator to the White House they discover a whole new, hitherto unimagined, degree of depravity.
The Courier-Journal reports that Republicans in the Kentucky Senate have voted down a measure to raise the minimum age for marriage to eighteen. The GOP decided it was more important to ensure parents can easily marry off their children than it was to prevent child marriages.
The bill the Republicans rejected was called the “Child Bride Bill,” which perfectly puts into perspective how vile the opposition to it was. Supporters of the blocked legislation said that most underage marriages involved an older man and a teenage girl who most likely has been sexually exploited. It’s sadly not surprising that the party of Trump — a man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl — would support such a despicable move.
http://washingtonpress.com/2018/03/02/kentucky-republicans-just-made-easier-parents-marry-off-underage-children/
The Courier-Journal reports that Republicans in the Kentucky Senate have voted down a measure to raise the minimum age for marriage to eighteen. The GOP decided it was more important to ensure parents can easily marry off their children than it was to prevent child marriages.
The bill the Republicans rejected was called the “Child Bride Bill,” which perfectly puts into perspective how vile the opposition to it was. Supporters of the blocked legislation said that most underage marriages involved an older man and a teenage girl who most likely has been sexually exploited. It’s sadly not surprising that the party of Trump — a man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl — would support such a despicable move.
http://washingtonpress.com/2018/03/02/kentucky-republicans-just-made-easier-parents-marry-off-underage-children/
That’s suddenly that much creepier. We have to keep these things short for time since there’s two matches per round this week. What else is Kentucky the home of? You think their national level politicians are bad, wait until you see what their state level ones are doing!
FRANKFORT, Ky. – One premise behind a bill pending in the Kentucky House that would roll back long-established unemployment benefits is that limiting benefits will motivate laid-off workers to try harder to find a job.
Instead of getting unemployment checks for the current maximum of 26 weeks, they would only be able to get them for a number of weeks tied to the state unemployment rate. Right now, that means they'd get 14 weeks.
“We’ve got a segment of folks that use their unemployment instead of getting out there and looking for employment," said Rep. Jim DeCesare, a Rockfield Republican and sponsor of the bill. He said Kentucky ranks second among states in the length of time its people remain on unemployment benefits.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/16/kentucky-unemployment-benefits-cut/333838002/
Instead of getting unemployment checks for the current maximum of 26 weeks, they would only be able to get them for a number of weeks tied to the state unemployment rate. Right now, that means they'd get 14 weeks.
“We’ve got a segment of folks that use their unemployment instead of getting out there and looking for employment," said Rep. Jim DeCesare, a Rockfield Republican and sponsor of the bill. He said Kentucky ranks second among states in the length of time its people remain on unemployment benefits.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/16/kentucky-unemployment-benefits-cut/333838002/
[font size="4"]Iowa[/font]
So Iowa is a state that we haven’t covered here in the Stupidest State contest. Iowa is the home of farming country but it also is the home of two of the world’s major universities – Iowa University and Iowa State University. You might remember Iowa as the school that got their asses handed to them in the 2016 Rose Bowl when they took on Stanford. The Hawkeye State is also the home of lots of great sports, food, and concerts in the states’ two main major cities – Cedar Rapids (as seen in the Ed Helms movie Cedar Rapids) and the capital Des Moines. What else is Iowa the home of? Well, again, some batshit insane legislatures! I give you Bill Dix!
The consequences of now-former Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix’s relationship with a lobbyist did not end with just with his abrupt resignation. Ripple effects from the scandal that shook the Statehouse continue to be felt in the Capitol and beyond. Here’s what’s happening:
Top Senate Aide Steps Down
Ed Failor, the senior aide to former Senator Dix, announced late Tuesday afternoon that he was resigning from his position. He explained that he wanted the new Republican leader (who will be selected today) to be able to put together his own team in the office. Some members of the Republican caucus were reportedly frustrated with Failor for what they saw as his poor handling of the Kirsten Anderson sexual harassment issue, though it does sound like Failor’s decision on Tuesday was his own.
https://iowastartingline.com/2018/03/14/more-resignations-and-mounting-fallout-from-bill-dix-scandal/
Top Senate Aide Steps Down
Ed Failor, the senior aide to former Senator Dix, announced late Tuesday afternoon that he was resigning from his position. He explained that he wanted the new Republican leader (who will be selected today) to be able to put together his own team in the office. Some members of the Republican caucus were reportedly frustrated with Failor for what they saw as his poor handling of the Kirsten Anderson sexual harassment issue, though it does sound like Failor’s decision on Tuesday was his own.
https://iowastartingline.com/2018/03/14/more-resignations-and-mounting-fallout-from-bill-dix-scandal/
And then Iowa is also the home of a guy named Mark Chelgren. We’ve talked about this douche on the Top 10 before but we’ll leave you with one of his greatest hits.
Iowa’s public universities would need to consider political party affiliation when hiring new faculty members, under a bill proposed by a Republican state senator.
State senator Mark Chelgren said the measure was an attempt to counter the liberal slant at the state’s three public universities.
“My goal isn’t to eliminate speech on the other side of the equation, but we have to have balanced speech,” said Chelgren, from Ottumwa.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/23/iowa-voter-registration-faculty-applicants-universities
State senator Mark Chelgren said the measure was an attempt to counter the liberal slant at the state’s three public universities.
“My goal isn’t to eliminate speech on the other side of the equation, but we have to have balanced speech,” said Chelgren, from Ottumwa.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/23/iowa-voter-registration-faculty-applicants-universities
[font size="6"]And The Winner Is… [/font]
Ladies and gentlemen, we may have our first upset of the tournament – Kentucky came out strong here and went on a 15 – 1 run against Iowa! And… they won! Kentucky is celebrating on the court, they knocked off the heavily favored Iowa by a score of 89 – 67! Wow, what a finish! Kentucky routes the division champs and they will move on!
[font size="6"]Game 2: Gun Nut Conference – Montana Vs Arizona [/font]
[font size="4"]Montana[/font]
So when we last left off Montana was in the middle of that insane special election where Greg Gianforte body slammed and threatened to murder a reporter – and doubled down on his threat – and he still got elected! That will show you how violent the state of Montana is. And of course the topic here is guns. I mean we are in Montana, after all! They have the highest concentration of gun manufacturers and racist hate groups in the entire country. There’s really not a lot to do in Montana but hate and shoot the biggest guns known to man. Here’s how reckless the ven diagram of both groups are:
Threats against schools: A Darby senior was in court this week after telling fellow students he was "going to shoot up the school." MacLean William Kayser, 18, told classmates that those wearing yellow shirts to school the following day would be "a target'' but those in red shirts would be safe. He then pointed at various students, saying “you’re a red shirt” or “you’re a yellow shirt,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed Tuesday in Ravalli County Justice Court.
On Thursday, Missoula's Big Sky High School was on lock-in after graffiti was found in a girls' bathroom that said "Don't be at Big Sky at 1:20." The school allowed parents to pick up teir kids.
On Wednesday, Darby Superintendent Loyd Rennaker confirmed another social media threat toward the school. Extra law enforcement officers were at the school Wednesday, including four Ravalli County Sheriff's Department officers and Darby Police.
In Philipsburg, a student was arrested and charged with a felony. Granite County Sheriff Scott Dunkerson said the student made threats against schools in the town.
In Missoula, Big Sky High School dealt with reports that a student made a verbal threat toward the school. The school's "threat assessment team" found there to be a "low threat" to the school, and the student is back in classes.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/student-walkouts-school-threats-the-gun-debate-in-montana/article_7575f057-35a9-5e5b-a212-6ad9742c8d7d.html
On Thursday, Missoula's Big Sky High School was on lock-in after graffiti was found in a girls' bathroom that said "Don't be at Big Sky at 1:20." The school allowed parents to pick up teir kids.
On Wednesday, Darby Superintendent Loyd Rennaker confirmed another social media threat toward the school. Extra law enforcement officers were at the school Wednesday, including four Ravalli County Sheriff's Department officers and Darby Police.
In Philipsburg, a student was arrested and charged with a felony. Granite County Sheriff Scott Dunkerson said the student made threats against schools in the town.
In Missoula, Big Sky High School dealt with reports that a student made a verbal threat toward the school. The school's "threat assessment team" found there to be a "low threat" to the school, and the student is back in classes.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/student-walkouts-school-threats-the-gun-debate-in-montana/article_7575f057-35a9-5e5b-a212-6ad9742c8d7d.html
That’s right – the gun nuts in Montana are so insane that they literally threatened multiple schools that participated in last week’s walk out. You can’t get much more evil than that folks! And in case you’re wondering how much Montana loves its’ guns, well, once again state laws are more insane than national laws!
Since the shooting and killing of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, the Montana chapter of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense has been busy.
The group, which formed shortly after the 2012 school shooting in Sandy Hook, where 27 were killed, has seen a huge increase in people liking their Facebook page, commenting on posts and sending messages asking how to get involved. A first meeting of the group's Bozeman chapter last week had 80 people, said Kiely Lammers, the Billings chapter leader who is involved in the statewide organization.
A national movement, led by a strong-voiced and even stronger-willed group of high school students, is bringing a dialogue on changing gun laws to states like Montana. Over the past week and a half here, high school and college student groups have rapidly formed and added to the chorus of groups like Moms Demand Action, which has been involved in statewide legislative efforts for several years.
http://helenair.com/news/government-and-politics/in-decades-in-montana-gun-legislation-has-been-more-about/article_f947b649-3eaa-53de-8004-330232532022.html
The group, which formed shortly after the 2012 school shooting in Sandy Hook, where 27 were killed, has seen a huge increase in people liking their Facebook page, commenting on posts and sending messages asking how to get involved. A first meeting of the group's Bozeman chapter last week had 80 people, said Kiely Lammers, the Billings chapter leader who is involved in the statewide organization.
A national movement, led by a strong-voiced and even stronger-willed group of high school students, is bringing a dialogue on changing gun laws to states like Montana. Over the past week and a half here, high school and college student groups have rapidly formed and added to the chorus of groups like Moms Demand Action, which has been involved in statewide legislative efforts for several years.
http://helenair.com/news/government-and-politics/in-decades-in-montana-gun-legislation-has-been-more-about/article_f947b649-3eaa-53de-8004-330232532022.html
?itemid=5559440
[font size="4"]Arizona[/font]
We are back in Arizona everybody! Yes the state that gave us batshit crazy governor Jan Brewer, the Minutemen Militia, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio once again shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to producing some of the country’s craziest gun laws. Arizona is one of the most heavily red states that somehow managed to go for Obama mainly because the GOP had no other candidate. But in 2018 Arizona, Infowars conspiracy theories and Trump propaganda reign supreme! In fact you know that law that Trump is proposing to arm teachers in the event of a mass shooting? Who needs it? Arizona had that law on the books already!
PHOENIX — The White House earlier this week proposed providing "rigorous firearm training" to qualified school personnel, furthering the polarizing national debate over whether teachers should be allowed to carry guns in school.
In Florida, site of last month's massacre that left 17 dead, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a set of new gun restrictions that allow some teachers and staff to carry guns on school campuses.
But Arizona may be ahead of this curve. Here teachers already can carry guns in school — with permission — according to the state's top education administrator.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/13/arizona-guns-schools/420229002/
In Florida, site of last month's massacre that left 17 dead, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a set of new gun restrictions that allow some teachers and staff to carry guns on school campuses.
But Arizona may be ahead of this curve. Here teachers already can carry guns in school — with permission — according to the state's top education administrator.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/13/arizona-guns-schools/420229002/
And I mean come on – Arizona republicans have even lost the youth vote! I mean when you’ve lost them, you’ve hit rock bottom! And when you’ve hit rock bottom, there’s nowhere to go from here but up, is there? Oh and Mr. Martinez, sir, we say “good luck with that!”.
On Wednesday, however, the 16-year-old announced to a crowd of reporters, activists, and lawmakers that he'd be stepping down until the Republican Party takes action to prevent gun violence.
"For those of you who will attack me because of this decision, let me remind you that I am not against the Second Amendment," he said. "I am not against people owning guns. But I am against students being gunned down because we don't like to get together, work across the lines, and figure out these issues like human beings."
Martinez, who attends Dobson High in Mesa, has been active in politics for several years. He volunteered for Ted Cruz's presidential campaign, and helped out with Kelli Ward's last Senate run. Arriving at the state Capitol on Wednesday, however, he was disappointed to find out that Republican legislators weren't interested in listening to teenagers who'd come to talk about gun control.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-teenage-republicans-chair-quits-amid-gun-violence-protests-10235280
"For those of you who will attack me because of this decision, let me remind you that I am not against the Second Amendment," he said. "I am not against people owning guns. But I am against students being gunned down because we don't like to get together, work across the lines, and figure out these issues like human beings."
Martinez, who attends Dobson High in Mesa, has been active in politics for several years. He volunteered for Ted Cruz's presidential campaign, and helped out with Kelli Ward's last Senate run. Arriving at the state Capitol on Wednesday, however, he was disappointed to find out that Republican legislators weren't interested in listening to teenagers who'd come to talk about gun control.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-teenage-republicans-chair-quits-amid-gun-violence-protests-10235280
[font size="6"]And The Winner Is… [/font]
Oh this was a close match. It was back and forth the entire game with Arizona shouting that their guns are bigger than Montana’s. The score is 65 – 65 going into the last 10 seconds… Montana for the win!!! And it’s in!!!! Montana wins against heavily favored Arizona! They are celebrating on the court, and they will move onto the next round! Oh man what a game!
[font size="6"]Next Week [/font]
For Round 1 Week 2 – we’re live at the beautiful T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and it’s Kansas going for broke against the coal mining CEOs in West Virginia, while Indiana and Alabama square away in a Family Values face off!
[font size="8"]And Now This:[/font]
[font size="8”]Arcade Fire[/font]
Ladies and gentlemen, if you don’t have their new album “Everything Now” by now, you are no friend of this show. Playing their song “Put Your Money On Me”, give it up for Arcade Fire!!!
See you next week!
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