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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-2: Oops, I Creeped Out Again Edition
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-2: Oops, I Creeped Out Again Edition
Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Yo what’s up San Jose? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? Great! This is our first road show after 15 months of being in front of that blank, blue void in the back of a Burbank comedy club before moving to the secondary room of a Santa Ana concert venue, and it feels good! Whew! First off congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks, you earned your NBA title and now you will get to go see a president who won’t greet you with a Domino’s and McDonalds fast food buffet! Although that’s not what I want to talk about is the billionaire space race this week – don’t worry, we will cover this in full next week. But is it just me or did the rockets look like a certain part of the male anatomy? I mean come on, I don’t want to say that they were blasting into space on what looks like a giant penis rocket, but yeah they kind of are blasting off into space on a giant penis rocket. Come on, I hear the groans! Oh come on sir, give it a chance, I just got up here! That’s the joke you choose to leave on? For those of you watching at home there’s people already leaving! But yeah whether you’re a fan of Blue Origin or Richard Branson’s “Truth Or Consequences”, we can all agree that we know what they look like! And we do have actual footage of the launches, can we show those please?
All right, that was Austin Powers. OK enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first Stephen Colbert is back and he dissects Fox News vaccine hysteria:
Man where do we begin this week? In the number one slot this week, unfortunately, is The Former Guy (1). But holy shit, there’s several new books coming about his administration, and each one is scarier than the next, including an attempted coup! Taking the second slot this week, is Florida Man and guy who should most likely have to register as a sex offender, Matt Gaetz (2). Why is he so interested in Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship all of a sudden? Is he planning to ask her out or something? Taking the #3 slot this week is our old buddy Tucker Carlson (3). It seems his employer, Fox News, is getting louder, more vocal, and more insane about vaccine conspiracies, and we’re going to break it down for you! In the number 4 slot, we’re going to take a look at the ongoing efforts to overturn the election, starting with creepy Pillow Man Mike Lindell (4) and the Former Guy supporters are going at this at the same rate that Wiley Coyote is attacking the Road Runner. In the #5 slot is Conservative Road Shows (5) and everyone from Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Greene to the Former Guy are having a hard time selling their shit on the road. Gee, I wonder why? Taking the number 6 slot this is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit”, and this week we’re going to find out the link between Evangelicals and how they are likely to believe wild conspiracies like Q Anon, and yeah this will get worse before it gets better. In the number 7 slot this week, we’re going to add California representative and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (7) to the ever-growing list of People Who Somehow Got Elected! In the number 8 slot this week we have a new Conspiracy Corner (8)! And last week, I was tipped off to a bizarre new product called the “Freedom Phone” touted by a 22 year old Bitcoin entrepreneur. If you expect this thing is a cheap piece of garbage, you are right! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week, we have a new I Need A Drink! And finally this week it’s time for episode 2 of our deep dive into Trump country – Red State Diaries! This week we’re taking a look at Arizona’s insane election audit and what is coming of it! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!
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[font size="8"]The Former Guy
[br] [/font] [br]
So here we are. Conservatives are trying to walk back what happened on January 6th. If they want to go there, fine. Two can play at that game. Did you know that T was dangerously close to committing a real life coup when he found out that he lost the election? Well yeah that’s a thing and it’s scarier than any of us could ever imagine! Here’s the thing – we were all horrified by the events of January 6th, were we not? But not if you watched Fox News or any of the even worse conservative outlets out there, like Newsmax or OAN. They’re passing this off as a “harmless tourist visit”. Yeah never mind the poop smeared on the walls or the makeshift gallows being erected outside. But was it a mere tourist visit or an attempt to overthrow the government? Here’s what one rioter has suggested!
A Trump supporter said rioters were "just there to overthrow the government," a new book by Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender says.
Saundra Kiczenski, a 56-year-old from Michigan, told Bender she was "confident" that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, according to the book "Frankly, We Did Win This Election," published earlier this week.
"If someone put a gun to my head and said: 'Did Donald Trump win, yes or no? And if you're wrong, we're going to shoot your head off!' I would say 'yes,'" Kiczenski told Bender, according to an excerpt of the book that was published by The Washington Post. "I'm that confident that this stuff is not made up."
In the book, Bender detailed former President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the election after becoming the first incumbent in decades to fail to win reelection.
"We weren't there to steal things," Kiczenski, who entered the Capitol on January 6, said, according to the book excerpt. "We weren't there to do damage. We were just there to overthrow the government."
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-supporter-capitol-rioters-there-to-overthrow-government-2021-7
Saundra Kiczenski, a 56-year-old from Michigan, told Bender she was "confident" that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, according to the book "Frankly, We Did Win This Election," published earlier this week.
"If someone put a gun to my head and said: 'Did Donald Trump win, yes or no? And if you're wrong, we're going to shoot your head off!' I would say 'yes,'" Kiczenski told Bender, according to an excerpt of the book that was published by The Washington Post. "I'm that confident that this stuff is not made up."
In the book, Bender detailed former President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the election after becoming the first incumbent in decades to fail to win reelection.
"We weren't there to steal things," Kiczenski, who entered the Capitol on January 6, said, according to the book excerpt. "We weren't there to do damage. We were just there to overthrow the government."
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-supporter-capitol-rioters-there-to-overthrow-government-2021-7
That is a good question sir! But yeah you know it’s all fun and games until they attempt to overthrow the government. But that said, we can just add this to our growing list of things that Trump has failed – steaks, vodka, airlines, universities, being the president, and now a coup against the US government! So what happened between November 3rd and January 20th? Well a whole lot of some really scary shit that thankfully was prevented by some much cooler heads than that guy!
The top US military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, was so shaken that then-President Donald Trump and his allies might attempt a coup or take other dangerous or illegal measures after the November election that Milley and other top officials informally planned for different ways to stop Trump, according to excerpts of an upcoming book obtained by CNN.
The book, from Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, describes how Milley and the other Joint Chiefs discussed a plan to resign, one-by-one, rather than carry out orders from Trump that they considered to be illegal, dangerous or ill-advised.
“It was a kind of Saturday Night Massacre in reverse,” Leonnig and Rucker write.
The book, “I Alone Can Fix It,” scheduled to be released next Tuesday, chronicles Trump’s final year as president, with a behind-the-scenes look at how senior administration officials and Trump’s inner circle navigated his increasingly unhinged behavior after losing the 2020 election. The authors interviewed Trump for more than two hours.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/14/top-generals-reportedly-feared-trump-coup-attempt/
The book, from Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, describes how Milley and the other Joint Chiefs discussed a plan to resign, one-by-one, rather than carry out orders from Trump that they considered to be illegal, dangerous or ill-advised.
“It was a kind of Saturday Night Massacre in reverse,” Leonnig and Rucker write.
The book, “I Alone Can Fix It,” scheduled to be released next Tuesday, chronicles Trump’s final year as president, with a behind-the-scenes look at how senior administration officials and Trump’s inner circle navigated his increasingly unhinged behavior after losing the 2020 election. The authors interviewed Trump for more than two hours.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/14/top-generals-reportedly-feared-trump-coup-attempt/
Uh………. Yes we are! I mean this guy attempted to overthrow the government! Why isn’t this being hammered more in the media? Why do we have to read about it in a book that’s coming out several months after the fact? I guarantee if this information had been out during the trial, it would have gone the other way. I mean we could seriously be under a dictatorship right now and that is an incredibly scary thought.
In the run-up to the 2020 election, the media covered one of the most difficult stories to write about in one of the most difficult presidential administrations it will ever cover: whether President Donald Trump might do something drastic if he lost reelection. Stories on and speculation about Trump potentially calling in the military or even engaging in an attempted coup d’etat were roundly ridiculed by Trump’s allies as the latest bit of alarmism from an anti-Trump press.
Former Trump acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller even testified in May of this year that the media’s “irresponsible commentary” on this topic inflamed the situation ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
What we’ve found out since then, though, can be understood as little else but an affirmation of this cautionary coverage.
In the two months since Miller’s testimony, we’ve learned that two of the highest-ranking figures overseeing the U.S. military — Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark A. Milley and Miller’s predecessor as defense secretary, Mark T. Esper — both had significant worries about Trump involving the military in the election. According to at least one report, even Miller shared in that, at least to some extent.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/15/growing-evidence-very-real-trump-coup-fears/
Former Trump acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller even testified in May of this year that the media’s “irresponsible commentary” on this topic inflamed the situation ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
What we’ve found out since then, though, can be understood as little else but an affirmation of this cautionary coverage.
In the two months since Miller’s testimony, we’ve learned that two of the highest-ranking figures overseeing the U.S. military — Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark A. Milley and Miller’s predecessor as defense secretary, Mark T. Esper — both had significant worries about Trump involving the military in the election. According to at least one report, even Miller shared in that, at least to some extent.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/15/growing-evidence-very-real-trump-coup-fears/
Seriously there aren’t enough holy shits in the world! But really if you ask the man himself, guess what he will answer? He’s over it. Or he’s just not that into it. Or it was fake news. Or maybe it was Maybelline. OK I’m getting off the rails here. But yeah when asked about turning America into a fucking third world Fox News run dictatorship complete with state run TV, it was a very real possibility for a few moments after the election! Some scary shit!
Former President Trump’s line in a press statement about how if he was going to do a coup it would not be with Gen. Mark Milley has quickly become a viral punchline.
Trump made the remark in a written statement while describing as "ridiculous" suggestions that he might have taken part in a coup after he lost the presidential election — a defeat he has refused to concede.
"So ridiculous! Sorry to inform you, but an Election is my form of 'coup,' and if I was going to do a coup, one of the last people I would want to do it with is General Mark Milley," Trump said.
Milley is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and was nominated to that role by Trump, who has since turned on him.
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/563238-if-i-was-going-to-do-a-coup-becomes-viral-punchline-after-latest-trump
Trump made the remark in a written statement while describing as "ridiculous" suggestions that he might have taken part in a coup after he lost the presidential election — a defeat he has refused to concede.
"So ridiculous! Sorry to inform you, but an Election is my form of 'coup,' and if I was going to do a coup, one of the last people I would want to do it with is General Mark Milley," Trump said.
Milley is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and was nominated to that role by Trump, who has since turned on him.
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/563238-if-i-was-going-to-do-a-coup-becomes-viral-punchline-after-latest-trump
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[font size="8"]Matt Gaetz
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You know we need some music for this entry!
Oops… I creeped out again. I went and did some creeping, and yes I am innocent! OK that didn’t really work. But the point is since the beginning of the Top 10 I have been saying that if you’re accused of doing something horrible, maybe don’t do that thing you’re being accused of (see: Top 10 #3-7 )! Yeah so if you’re trying to lose weight, maybe don’t eat that 12 scoop sundae topped with every topping that the ice cream store has! Just don’t do it, OK? Which brings me to Matt Gaetz. Yeah as you know, this perverted weasel is wanted for his bizarre sex crimes and one of the dumbest scandals in modern history. Which begs the question – what the hell was he doing outside a “Save Britney” rally? Is he trying to ask her out on a date or something?
Rep. Matt Gaetz showed up at a rally outside a Los Angeles courthouse Wednesday ahead of the latest conservatorship hearing for Britney Spears — and took the microphone to call the pop icon's father Jamie "a d---."
"Britney has been abused by the media, she has been abused by her grifter father and she's been abused by the American justice system," the Republican Florida lawmaker told the crowd of Spears' supporters.
Gaetz continued, "There's a lot that divides us. But one thing we can all agree on is that Jamie Spears is a d---."
"And he shouldn't make any more decisions regarding his daughter," Gaetz said of Jamie. [Britney] is nearly 40-years-old. She should make her own decisions."
https://www.insider.com/rep-matt-gaetz-britney-spears-conservatorship-hearing-insults-jamie-2021-7
"Britney has been abused by the media, she has been abused by her grifter father and she's been abused by the American justice system," the Republican Florida lawmaker told the crowd of Spears' supporters.
Gaetz continued, "There's a lot that divides us. But one thing we can all agree on is that Jamie Spears is a d---."
"And he shouldn't make any more decisions regarding his daughter," Gaetz said of Jamie. [Britney] is nearly 40-years-old. She should make her own decisions."
https://www.insider.com/rep-matt-gaetz-britney-spears-conservatorship-hearing-insults-jamie-2021-7
You know here's the thing - if you are wanted as a sex offender, maybe I don't know, don't appear at a rally for a woman who became famous for looking hot in a Catholic school girl uniform. Just saying! Go on, eat this giant deep fried 5 lb cheeseburger, fatty! You know you want to! Also come on, isn’t the very thing that Matt Gaetz advocating what the conservatives refer to as “big government”? I am just throwing that suggestion out there!
Following Britney Spears’s devastating testimony last month on the abusive conservatorship under which she is forced to live, an array of politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties aligned themselves with the #FreeBritney cause. The media narrative was to exclaim, with a dash of bemusement, that Spears’s struggle against conservatorship has provoked bipartisan agreement.
Spears’s high-profile case is well suited for both Democratic and Republican ideological projection. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has called for more oversight. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, used the pop star’s suffering as a grounds for his own fundraising, sending out texts that call Spears “a victim of toxic gov’t overreach & censorship.” The putrid Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is being investigated for possibly sex trafficking minors, turned up at a “#FreeBritney” rally in California, grabbing the mic and calling for Spears’s release from conservatorship.
If politicians’ cynical co-option of Spears’s struggle, particularly on the right, leads to concrete shifts in pernicious conservatorship law, a primarily state-based issue about which the federal government can only do so much, then all the better. As has been well noted, this is a disability rights issue in need of swift redress. The risk, however, is that conservatives jumping on this issue could distort a problem — grounded in capitalist exploitation, patriarchal control, and a national scarcity in truly supportive care for disabled and aging people — into one of state impingement on individual freedoms.
https://theintercept.com/2021/07/20/gop-britney-spears-matt-gaetz-ted-cruz/
Spears’s high-profile case is well suited for both Democratic and Republican ideological projection. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has called for more oversight. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, used the pop star’s suffering as a grounds for his own fundraising, sending out texts that call Spears “a victim of toxic gov’t overreach & censorship.” The putrid Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is being investigated for possibly sex trafficking minors, turned up at a “#FreeBritney” rally in California, grabbing the mic and calling for Spears’s release from conservatorship.
If politicians’ cynical co-option of Spears’s struggle, particularly on the right, leads to concrete shifts in pernicious conservatorship law, a primarily state-based issue about which the federal government can only do so much, then all the better. As has been well noted, this is a disability rights issue in need of swift redress. The risk, however, is that conservatives jumping on this issue could distort a problem — grounded in capitalist exploitation, patriarchal control, and a national scarcity in truly supportive care for disabled and aging people — into one of state impingement on individual freedoms.
https://theintercept.com/2021/07/20/gop-britney-spears-matt-gaetz-ted-cruz/
Nah, but creepy white politicians like Ted Cruz and Matt Gaetz are trying to exploit you for personal benefit, and that’s what you should really be concerned about! But this brings up a rather curious debate – why has the Q Anon crowd latched onto the Free Britney movement? Well, if you answered “something creepy”, sir or madam, I can assure you that you are… 100% absolutely correct! They are up to something creepy!
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a firebrand Republican lawmaker who is currently being investigated for possible sex trafficking of minors, showed up at a California rally demanding that singer Britney Spears be released from her conservatorship.
The "Free Britney" rally was held outside a Los Angeles courthouse where a virtual hearing on Spears' convervatorship was taking place. Spears has said the conservatorship — controlled by her father Jamie — is abusive, and has compelled her to take birth control and other medications against her will.
A crowd gathered outside the courthouse holding "Free Britney" signs, and Gaetz, evidently hoping to seize on a popular movement once again, took the mic and addressed the crowd. It's not the first time Gaetz has traveled across the country for a political stunt, as he once went to Wyoming to whip up support in opposition to fellow Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, a critic of former President Donald Trump.
https://www.sfgate.com/national-politics/article/Matt-Gaetz-Free-Britney-Spears-rally-California-16316653.php
The "Free Britney" rally was held outside a Los Angeles courthouse where a virtual hearing on Spears' convervatorship was taking place. Spears has said the conservatorship — controlled by her father Jamie — is abusive, and has compelled her to take birth control and other medications against her will.
A crowd gathered outside the courthouse holding "Free Britney" signs, and Gaetz, evidently hoping to seize on a popular movement once again, took the mic and addressed the crowd. It's not the first time Gaetz has traveled across the country for a political stunt, as he once went to Wyoming to whip up support in opposition to fellow Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, a critic of former President Donald Trump.
https://www.sfgate.com/national-politics/article/Matt-Gaetz-Free-Britney-Spears-rally-California-16316653.php
Damn straight! Of course why is a guy who should be on a registered sex offender and guy who should probably be kept 500 feet away from schools and playgrounds be so interested in this Free Britney movement? I mean doesn’t he have far more important things to do now that he’s a Congressman? Well I guess aside from keeping out of jail, which I assume is all the modern GOP does at the moment.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and a handful of other Republicans have invited pop star Britney Spears to testify before Congress about her conservatorship.
"You have been mistreated by America’s legal system. We want to help," Gaetz wrote in a letter to Spears dated Wednesday. "The United States Congress should hear your story and be inspired to bipartisan action. What happened to you should never happen to any other American."
Gaetz said he and fellow Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Burgess Owens (Utah) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.) have been following her conservatorship battle with “deep concern” and stand with the pop star.
Rumors about Spears' discontent with her conservatorship spread for years online and trended with the #FreeBritney hashtag. But last week, Spears spoke directly about the issue herself in court, describing her conservatorship as “abusive.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/01/gaetz-congress-britney-spears-497582
"You have been mistreated by America’s legal system. We want to help," Gaetz wrote in a letter to Spears dated Wednesday. "The United States Congress should hear your story and be inspired to bipartisan action. What happened to you should never happen to any other American."
Gaetz said he and fellow Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Burgess Owens (Utah) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.) have been following her conservatorship battle with “deep concern” and stand with the pop star.
Rumors about Spears' discontent with her conservatorship spread for years online and trended with the #FreeBritney hashtag. But last week, Spears spoke directly about the issue herself in court, describing her conservatorship as “abusive.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/01/gaetz-congress-britney-spears-497582
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[font size="8"]Fox News
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In case you haven’t forgotten, we’re still in this thing called a “raging pandemic” and the next four months are crucial to determining the outcome of this thing. Unfortunately one key obstacle stands in our way. And that obstacle is Fox News. Don’t want the virus to spread? Well we can stop it through this thing called a “vaccine”. And the “vaccine” keeps you out of the hospital and/or dying, and also stops the virus from entering new hosts, giving it a chance to mutate. This “vaccine” however, only works if people take it. But Fox News and other more horrifying parts of the right-wing blogosphere including Infowars and OAN are doing their part to do everything they can to stop people from taking the “vaccine”. And I’m looking at you directly, Tucker Carlson! No, no need for the Tucker cam yet.
On air, the Fox News attitude about COVID-19 vaccines is one of pure loathing. Popular prime time hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham routinely suggest that the vaccines don't work, which is flatly false. In almost 60% of their segments about the vaccine, a recent analysis found, the network has pushed an anti-vaccination message, falsely implying the shots are dangerous or unnecessary.
Fox News has framed the vaccine in highly emotional culture war terms, with the shot presented to viewers like other made-up panics, such as "cancel culture" or "critical race theory." They are all a direct threat to the precious but poorly defined "freedom" that liberals supposedly want to snatch away. Viewers are made to feel that, by rejecting the vaccine, they are proving their conservative bona fides, sticking it to the liberals, and being the best MAGAs helping to make America great again.
But when the cameras are off at Fox News, suddenly everything changes. The vaccine is no longer regarded as a dangerous threat to Mom and apple pie, but a common-sense health intervention backed up by medical science. As CNN reported on Monday, Fox News — while decrying "vaccine passports" on-air — has been using a vaccine passport among their own staff since early June. Vaccinated employees who get what is called the FOX Clear Pass "are allowed to bypass the otherwise required daily health screening" and basically return to normal life inside the Fox offices.
https://www.salon.com/2021/07/20/fox-news-treats-its-viewers-as-fools-with-latest-vaccine-disinformation-campaign/
Fox News has framed the vaccine in highly emotional culture war terms, with the shot presented to viewers like other made-up panics, such as "cancel culture" or "critical race theory." They are all a direct threat to the precious but poorly defined "freedom" that liberals supposedly want to snatch away. Viewers are made to feel that, by rejecting the vaccine, they are proving their conservative bona fides, sticking it to the liberals, and being the best MAGAs helping to make America great again.
But when the cameras are off at Fox News, suddenly everything changes. The vaccine is no longer regarded as a dangerous threat to Mom and apple pie, but a common-sense health intervention backed up by medical science. As CNN reported on Monday, Fox News — while decrying "vaccine passports" on-air — has been using a vaccine passport among their own staff since early June. Vaccinated employees who get what is called the FOX Clear Pass "are allowed to bypass the otherwise required daily health screening" and basically return to normal life inside the Fox offices.
https://www.salon.com/2021/07/20/fox-news-treats-its-viewers-as-fools-with-latest-vaccine-disinformation-campaign/
Yes your media diet could be just as bad for your health as your actual diet. If you consume enough media to tell you that vaccines are bad and you don’t take vaccines? Guess what? You end up in the hospital and get sick and die, in the worst possible way! Grow a pair, take the vaccine and deal with the side effects for a few days. The alternative could be far worse, and that’s what you get when you listen to these idiots.
(CNN)"Do you think we could've eradicated polio or defeated the measles if you had Fox News night after night warning people about these vaccine issues that are just bunk?" CNN's Jim Acosta asked Saturday of Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser.
Fauci response's was jaw-dropping: "If we had had the pushback for vaccines the way we're seeing on certain media I don't think it would have been possible at all to not only eradicate smallpox, we probably would still have smallpox and we probably would still have polio in this country." The nation's premier infectious disease specialist added, "If we had the kind of false information that's being spread now, if we had that back decades ago, I would be certain that we'd still have polio in this country."
There's no dispute that Fox News has been delivering to its audience, of which almost 60% is in the high-risk over-65 age group, dangerously misleading information about the Covid vaccine and its rollout by the Biden administration. A report released Friday by the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters documents that the majority of vaccine-related segments that Fox News aired over the past two weeks "repeatedly fearmongered about and downplayed the need for continued vaccination campaigns."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/18/opinions/vaccine-disniformation-fox-news-obeidallah/index.html
Fauci response's was jaw-dropping: "If we had had the pushback for vaccines the way we're seeing on certain media I don't think it would have been possible at all to not only eradicate smallpox, we probably would still have smallpox and we probably would still have polio in this country." The nation's premier infectious disease specialist added, "If we had the kind of false information that's being spread now, if we had that back decades ago, I would be certain that we'd still have polio in this country."
There's no dispute that Fox News has been delivering to its audience, of which almost 60% is in the high-risk over-65 age group, dangerously misleading information about the Covid vaccine and its rollout by the Biden administration. A report released Friday by the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters documents that the majority of vaccine-related segments that Fox News aired over the past two weeks "repeatedly fearmongered about and downplayed the need for continued vaccination campaigns."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/18/opinions/vaccine-disniformation-fox-news-obeidallah/index.html
Seriously, he’s not wrong. If Fox News had been around during the days when the polio pandemic was going on, we’d probably still have polio. I mean they are the answer to everything that is wrong with this country. If you said the sky is blue, Fox would be like “No! The sky is green and we have proof that a blue sky is a hoax!”. So the moral of the story? Take the damn vaccine. And stop listening to these freaking idiots telling you not to!
White House press secretary Jen Psaki says she is in regular contact with the conservative news network Fox News about its coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Fox News commentators Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, as well as other news program hosts, have often cast doubt on the vaccines' safety and efficacy to the network's millions of viewers. The network ended January with a 19-year streak as the top U.S. cable news network.
Noting health official guidelines that encouraged masking and distancing even for vaccinated people in April, Carlson said of the vaccine: "So maybe it doesn’t work, and they’re simply not telling you that."
Ingraham on Monday night called Biden and his allies "consistent superspreaders of misinformation on COVID."
https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-regular-contact-fox-165712619.html
Fox News commentators Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, as well as other news program hosts, have often cast doubt on the vaccines' safety and efficacy to the network's millions of viewers. The network ended January with a 19-year streak as the top U.S. cable news network.
Noting health official guidelines that encouraged masking and distancing even for vaccinated people in April, Carlson said of the vaccine: "So maybe it doesn’t work, and they’re simply not telling you that."
Ingraham on Monday night called Biden and his allies "consistent superspreaders of misinformation on COVID."
https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-regular-contact-fox-165712619.html
That’s right – the bullshit coming from Fox is so rampant that even the White House has had to respond to what Fox News is telling people. So yeah remember what I said about your media diet ruining your health earlier? It really could, quite literally ruin your health! But Biden must have got through to Fox, because they seem to have a different tone on taking vaccines right now, especially with the Delta Variant spreading.
Conservatives are not necessarily vaccine-hesitant, to paraphrase John Stuart Mill, but most vaccine-hesitant Americans are conservatives. Resistance to vaccines has been concentrated among Republican voters, and led by GOP politicians and various leading lights in conservative media.
And that makes the past day or so one of the stranger stretches in recent pandemic politics.
“Just like we’ve been saying, please take COVID seriously. Enough people have died. We don’t need any more deaths. Research like crazy. Talk to your doctor,” Fox News’s Sean Hannity said last night. “It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated.”
Hannity’s “just like we’ve been saying” is doing a lot of work. He reportedly called the pandemic a “hoax” early on, and his colleague Tucker Carlson continues to cast doubt on vaccines, including on yesterday’s program. But Hannity is not alone now. His statement comes as several other major conservatives are speaking up too.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/fox-news-conservatives-vaccines-sean-hannity/619510/
And that makes the past day or so one of the stranger stretches in recent pandemic politics.
“Just like we’ve been saying, please take COVID seriously. Enough people have died. We don’t need any more deaths. Research like crazy. Talk to your doctor,” Fox News’s Sean Hannity said last night. “It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated.”
Hannity’s “just like we’ve been saying” is doing a lot of work. He reportedly called the pandemic a “hoax” early on, and his colleague Tucker Carlson continues to cast doubt on vaccines, including on yesterday’s program. But Hannity is not alone now. His statement comes as several other major conservatives are speaking up too.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/fox-news-conservatives-vaccines-sean-hannity/619510/
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[font size="8"]Mike Lindell
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Kind of sad when Trump’s now closest allies are a guy who lost his law license and a former drug addict turned pillow salesman. Mike Lindell is a loser, but if you’re here, you probably already knew that. But that said, the scary thing is that this loser has some serious influence in the MAGA world. And while I will stress that I am not, in any way, shape or form making fun of addiction here – I will say that Mike Lindell has replaced one vice with another. This time around, his vice is the MAGA lifestyle, and his belief that the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen is really getting to him. As much as you try to tell him that it’s bullshit, he won’t listen. What’s even scarier is that he’s attempting to gain more influence. But are there “two pathways” that Loser 45 can be reinstated as president? The answer is “no and no”.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a prominent conspiracy theorist, insisted that there are "two pathways" to overturning President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election over former President Donald Trump.
Lindell, a staunch Trump loyalist, continues to baselessly claim that the last presidential election was "rigged" or "stolen" by the Chinese Communist Party to favor Biden instead of Trump. The extraordinary allegations about so-called "widespread fraud" in the election have already been thoroughly litigated in state and federal courts and wholly discredited. But Lindell and Trump continue to promote the groundless conspiracy theory.
"So you have two things here, two pathways to pull this election down and it's getting pulled down," Lindell claimed as he sat at a booth for his Lindell TV at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas on Sunday. Video of his remarks was broadcast on the businessman's Frank Speech website.
https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lindell-insists-there-are-two-pathways-change-2020-election-results-1608655
Lindell, a staunch Trump loyalist, continues to baselessly claim that the last presidential election was "rigged" or "stolen" by the Chinese Communist Party to favor Biden instead of Trump. The extraordinary allegations about so-called "widespread fraud" in the election have already been thoroughly litigated in state and federal courts and wholly discredited. But Lindell and Trump continue to promote the groundless conspiracy theory.
"So you have two things here, two pathways to pull this election down and it's getting pulled down," Lindell claimed as he sat at a booth for his Lindell TV at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas on Sunday. Video of his remarks was broadcast on the businessman's Frank Speech website.
https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lindell-insists-there-are-two-pathways-change-2020-election-results-1608655
The scary thing is the talk of an August reinstatement for Trump is gaining ground and that should worry just about everybody. What’s scary is that this should alarm anybody because he’s claiming that a single shred of evidence in his favor could undermine 80 million votes. But this isn’t just a conservative problem – we should be paying attention to this sort of thing and what it’s doing to divide the population and against President Biden. This is insanity!
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has claimed that the "real totals" from the 2020 election show that Republican former President Donald Trump won by 80 million votes while Biden got under 68 million votes.
Lindell provided his erroneous tallies while speaking at a recent stop in the ReAwaken America tour. The tour features various right-wing commentators speaking about contemporary politics.
"I will tell you this," Lindell told the audience, "the real totals is Donald Trump 80 million and Biden less than 68 million—that's the real totals." The audience cheered at his claim.
Biden won the election with over 81 million votes. Trump lost with over 74 million votes. But since the election, Lindell has repeatedly pushed Trump's baseless claim that an unprecedented nationwide conspiracy of voter fraud "stole" the election from him.
https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lindell-claims-real-totals-2020-election-are-trump-80m-biden-below-68m-1610763
Lindell provided his erroneous tallies while speaking at a recent stop in the ReAwaken America tour. The tour features various right-wing commentators speaking about contemporary politics.
"I will tell you this," Lindell told the audience, "the real totals is Donald Trump 80 million and Biden less than 68 million—that's the real totals." The audience cheered at his claim.
Biden won the election with over 81 million votes. Trump lost with over 74 million votes. But since the election, Lindell has repeatedly pushed Trump's baseless claim that an unprecedented nationwide conspiracy of voter fraud "stole" the election from him.
https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lindell-claims-real-totals-2020-election-are-trump-80m-biden-below-68m-1610763
Regardless of how insane Mike Lindell and the Former Guy are, they’re still losers! As Jim Carrey would say, Loo-Hoo-Se-Hers! And come on with friends like these, who needs enemies? The Former Guy attracts some very strange bedfellows doesn’t he? I mean in one corner you have batshit crazy attorney Sidney Powell, and in the other corner you have drug-addict-turned-pillow-salesman Mike Lindell. But you know the old saying – wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which one shows up first!
Donald Trump allies Sidney Powell and Mike Lindell used a court hearing Thursday to make clear they aren’t backing off baseless election fraud conspiracy theories — even as they argued for a judge to dismiss billion-dollar lawsuits that accuse them of defamation for pushing those very same claims.
Powell, Lindell, and former Trump lawyer and adviser Rudy Giuliani were all sued earlier this year by Dominion Voting Systems Inc, a private company that contracts with local governments to provide election software and equipment. The trio had spent the weeks after the November election promoting baseless theories that Dominion had been part of a scheme to rig the contest for President Joe Biden. The company took them to court.
A federal judge in Washington heard arguments Thursday on motions filed by Giuliani, Lindell, and Powell to have the cases tossed out. Giuliani’s arguments dealt less with the substance of Dominion’s defamation claim; he’s taking issue with how the company alleged it was harmed financially as a threshold issue. But lawyers for Powell and Lindell delved into the question of whether Dominion had cleared the bar at this stage of the case to argue they’d acted with “actual malice,” a key issue in defamation cases.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/sidney-powell-mike-lindell-dominion-lawsuit-conspiracies
Powell, Lindell, and former Trump lawyer and adviser Rudy Giuliani were all sued earlier this year by Dominion Voting Systems Inc, a private company that contracts with local governments to provide election software and equipment. The trio had spent the weeks after the November election promoting baseless theories that Dominion had been part of a scheme to rig the contest for President Joe Biden. The company took them to court.
A federal judge in Washington heard arguments Thursday on motions filed by Giuliani, Lindell, and Powell to have the cases tossed out. Giuliani’s arguments dealt less with the substance of Dominion’s defamation claim; he’s taking issue with how the company alleged it was harmed financially as a threshold issue. But lawyers for Powell and Lindell delved into the question of whether Dominion had cleared the bar at this stage of the case to argue they’d acted with “actual malice,” a key issue in defamation cases.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/sidney-powell-mike-lindell-dominion-lawsuit-conspiracies
Nobody does, kid! So don’t hang around these guys otherwise you might just be one. But you want to see a real life example of what listening to batshit crazy conspiracy theorists does? Well check out this story out of Michigan where a full time far right Sheriff and part time Wilford Brimley impersonator (I can’t believe I’m drawing that reference) is taking matters into his own hands and probing the election himself. File this under “things that will not end well”.
A far-right sheriff in rural Michigan has sent a private investigator and a deputy sheriff on a tedious journey from township to township, grilling clerks about their election processes in an apparent attempt to dig up non-existent evidence of election crimes.
The whole thing, the sheriff said, was inspired by conspiracy theories about the election, including those peddled by MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell.
And the clerks are none too happy about it.
“It seemed like they were looking to accuse people or places of fraud, or potential fraud, is what it felt like,” said Cindy Willshire, clerk of Thornapple Township.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/michigan-sheriff-confuses-small-town-clerks-with-shady-mike-lindell-inspired-elections-probe
The whole thing, the sheriff said, was inspired by conspiracy theories about the election, including those peddled by MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell.
And the clerks are none too happy about it.
“It seemed like they were looking to accuse people or places of fraud, or potential fraud, is what it felt like,” said Cindy Willshire, clerk of Thornapple Township.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/michigan-sheriff-confuses-small-town-clerks-with-shady-mike-lindell-inspired-elections-probe
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[font size="8"]Conservative Road Shows
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Conservatives are having a hard time selling their message outside of their constituents. Gee, I wonder why that is? Well, we’ve got two exhibits here. The first exhibit is Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Greene, and as this happened relatively close to home, we of course have a vented interest in this. So if you were following the news, Gaetz and Greene were scheduled to speak at an event in Laguna Beach, California, which is a mere 25 miles from our studio here in Santa Ana. To walk back the trail of events, they were scheduled to speak at the Pacific Hills Banquet Center in Laguna Hills. That got canceled. Then they were scheduled to speak at the Riverside Convention Center, that got canceled. Then they were scheduled for the Anaheim Convention Center, that got canceled! So where is Nelson when you need him?
Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene address a rally on May 7 in The Villages, Florida. Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.
Two of the most controversial Republican members of Congress, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, were planning to hold a California rally this evening. The trouble is that venues keep canceling on them.
On Saturday, after two other venues had backed out, the M3 Live Anaheim Event Center also scrapped its plans to host the pair, hours before the “America First” rally was scheduled to start.
The Pacific Hills Banquet & Event Center in Laguna Hills and the Riverside Convention Center had already canceled the event after receiving a deluge of complaints.
Gaetz is currently under investigation for allegedly having sex with a minor and paying prostitutes. Greene was stripped of her committee assignments earlier this year following her promotion of conspiracy theories and apparently of violence against political opponents.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/07/matt-gaetz-and-marjorie-taylor-greene-cant-find-anyone-willing-to-host-their-california-rally/
Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.
Two of the most controversial Republican members of Congress, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, were planning to hold a California rally this evening. The trouble is that venues keep canceling on them.
On Saturday, after two other venues had backed out, the M3 Live Anaheim Event Center also scrapped its plans to host the pair, hours before the “America First” rally was scheduled to start.
The Pacific Hills Banquet & Event Center in Laguna Hills and the Riverside Convention Center had already canceled the event after receiving a deluge of complaints.
Gaetz is currently under investigation for allegedly having sex with a minor and paying prostitutes. Greene was stripped of her committee assignments earlier this year following her promotion of conspiracy theories and apparently of violence against political opponents.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/07/matt-gaetz-and-marjorie-taylor-greene-cant-find-anyone-willing-to-host-their-california-rally/
And my favorite thing about this is how the whole thing just spiraled and devolved into sidewalk protests, where Gaetz – seen here like a Z-grade Huey Lewis impersonator who’s looking to pick up drunk 21 year old coeds out for a night of heavy boozing, is hinting at… drumroll… a lawsuit! Ooh, a lawsuit! That seems to be the conservative thing – they don’t like trial lawyers, but they use more trial lawyers than anybody!
Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, suggested that he and fellow GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia plan to file a lawsuit after their "America First" rally in Riverside, California, was canceled.
The City of Riverside announced on Friday that the event, which was planned for 6 p.m. on Saturday, would not proceed at the Riverside Convention Center after it was "widely condemned" by residents, according to a press release from the city. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson called the rally "divisive" and welcomed the decision from the Raincross Hospitality Corp., which manages the convention center through a city contract.
"These quotes are going to make great exhibits in the lawsuit @RepMTG and I will be filing," Gaetz wrote in response on Saturday, retweeting images shared by a journalist of the city's press release.
The Florida congressman then urged supporters to sign-up for the rally's new location in Anaheim, California." However, the Anaheim was canceled hours later as well.
https://www.newsweek.com/matt-gaetz-hints-lawsuit-after-america-first-rally-canceled-riverside-california-1610731
The City of Riverside announced on Friday that the event, which was planned for 6 p.m. on Saturday, would not proceed at the Riverside Convention Center after it was "widely condemned" by residents, according to a press release from the city. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson called the rally "divisive" and welcomed the decision from the Raincross Hospitality Corp., which manages the convention center through a city contract.
"These quotes are going to make great exhibits in the lawsuit @RepMTG and I will be filing," Gaetz wrote in response on Saturday, retweeting images shared by a journalist of the city's press release.
The Florida congressman then urged supporters to sign-up for the rally's new location in Anaheim, California." However, the Anaheim was canceled hours later as well.
https://www.newsweek.com/matt-gaetz-hints-lawsuit-after-america-first-rally-canceled-riverside-california-1610731
On the flip side, Former Guy and another noted sex offender in the GOP, Bill O’Reilly have announced a “history tour”. That’s right – the guy behind “Killing Jesus” and “Killing Kennedy” and “Killing Lincoln”, has teamed up with the former guy for a series of stadium rocking arena tours. The problem is that they can barely fill up one arena! Hell they could barely fill the parking lot at Four Seasons Total Landscaping if that’s any consideration!
Donald Trump is having trouble selling advance tickets for his upcoming speaking tour with conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly, according to interviews with ticketing officials for the venues.
Early last month, Trump and O’Reilly, the one-time top Fox News host, announced a joint “History Tour” featuring four stops in December. O’Reilly said his conversations with Trump “will not be boring,” while the former president promised “fun, fun, fun for everyone who attends.”
Tickets went on sale for the events on June 14. While most seats are priced between $100 and $300, a “VIP Meet & Greet Package” goes for more than $8,500 and includes getting pictures taken with Trump and O’Reilly and a pre-show, 45-minute reception.
The events are not until the end of the year, Trump’s camp notes. But so far, the pace of purchases has been slow compared to other acts, arena officials say.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/16/trump-oreilly-tickets-499795
Early last month, Trump and O’Reilly, the one-time top Fox News host, announced a joint “History Tour” featuring four stops in December. O’Reilly said his conversations with Trump “will not be boring,” while the former president promised “fun, fun, fun for everyone who attends.”
Tickets went on sale for the events on June 14. While most seats are priced between $100 and $300, a “VIP Meet & Greet Package” goes for more than $8,500 and includes getting pictures taken with Trump and O’Reilly and a pre-show, 45-minute reception.
The events are not until the end of the year, Trump’s camp notes. But so far, the pace of purchases has been slow compared to other acts, arena officials say.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/16/trump-oreilly-tickets-499795
Here’s the thing guys – people want to go see concerts! Nobody wants to go see a couple of creepy old perverts exchanging their notes on Kennedy assassination theories. Hint: there was a grassy knoll involved, I’ll just throw that out there! And guess what? Just like the Gaetz and Greene rallies, the Former Guy and O’Reilly have no recourse but to sue! That’s right, a lawsuit! Seriously, can’t anyone just accept the L and move on? No? I give up!
Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly reportedly threatened to sue a Politico reporter over an article revealing that sales for his “History Tour” with former President Trump were low, citing conversations with venue ticketing officials.
Politico’s Daniel Lippman on Friday reported that tickets for the tour, which has four stops scheduled at locations in Texas and Florida this December, went on sale June 14, though venue officials said sales have so far been slow compared with other events held at the arenas.
For example, a box office employee at Orlando, Fla.'s 20,000-person Amway Center, which will host Trump and O’Reilly on Dec. 12, told Politico, “There’s still a lot of tickets open.”
“We have concerts that are doing a lot better than this,” the employee added, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The employee said that a Bad Bunny concert scheduled for March at the arena sold out in two days and that tickets for a Dec. 3 Kane Brown concert were almost gone.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/563548-oreilly-threatens-to-sue-after-media-reports-history-tour-with-trump-has-low
Politico’s Daniel Lippman on Friday reported that tickets for the tour, which has four stops scheduled at locations in Texas and Florida this December, went on sale June 14, though venue officials said sales have so far been slow compared with other events held at the arenas.
For example, a box office employee at Orlando, Fla.'s 20,000-person Amway Center, which will host Trump and O’Reilly on Dec. 12, told Politico, “There’s still a lot of tickets open.”
“We have concerts that are doing a lot better than this,” the employee added, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The employee said that a Bad Bunny concert scheduled for March at the arena sold out in two days and that tickets for a Dec. 3 Kane Brown concert were almost gone.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/563548-oreilly-threatens-to-sue-after-media-reports-history-tour-with-trump-has-low
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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 it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:
My fair congregation! You know we live in a trying time right now. We have a deadly virus, fires, locusts, and of course some good old fashioned election theft. We’re here this week to talk about the latter on that list. Now I know that you should never mix religion and politics, and we’re about to find out why you shouldn’t. We go to the city of Cleveland for this one. We love Cleveland, we’ve been there many times and will continue to visit! But this election, the battle, for the soul of OH-11 if you will, isn’t so much a mere midterm election. Oh no, my fair congregation! It’s becoming a holy war! For you see, it’s becoming a battle of endorsements. Who will win – Nina Turner who’s endorsed by Bernie Sanders, or upstart candidate Shontel Brown?
The first time I saw Nina Turner speak was at the 2017 People’s Summit, a gathering of faithful Bernie Sanders supporters after his first presidential run, hosted by National Nurses United. It was well into the Trump presidency, and Turner was out to rouse the crowd to action.
RoseAnn DeMoro, then executive director of NNU, introduced her as the Sanders movement’s “spiritual leader.” She took the stage in a floor-length magenta dress and cat-eye glasses, and proceeded to rock the crowd like a combination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Iggy Pop. Halfway through her speech??punctuated, call-and-response-style, with the refrain “With these hands we will rise up”—she hopped off the stage and continued to speak while moving through the crowd, whipping them to a standing ovation, then dropping them to complete silence. Turner pointed out that when Black women like her speak out, “sometimes we are accused of being called angry.” She paused for emphasis. “This morning I am here to say to you my name is Nina Turner and I am an angry ass Black woman.” As the crowd roared its approval, she laughed and invited them to “be an angry Black woman” with her.
https://prospect.org/politics/nina-turner-reaching-forward-and-reaching-back/
RoseAnn DeMoro, then executive director of NNU, introduced her as the Sanders movement’s “spiritual leader.” She took the stage in a floor-length magenta dress and cat-eye glasses, and proceeded to rock the crowd like a combination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Iggy Pop. Halfway through her speech??punctuated, call-and-response-style, with the refrain “With these hands we will rise up”—she hopped off the stage and continued to speak while moving through the crowd, whipping them to a standing ovation, then dropping them to complete silence. Turner pointed out that when Black women like her speak out, “sometimes we are accused of being called angry.” She paused for emphasis. “This morning I am here to say to you my name is Nina Turner and I am an angry ass Black woman.” As the crowd roared its approval, she laughed and invited them to “be an angry Black woman” with her.
https://prospect.org/politics/nina-turner-reaching-forward-and-reaching-back/
Those are the Snake Handlers, wrong religion! But see we here at the Holy Church Of The Top 10 analyze all religion and there is no stone unturned, for that is what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now, does he not? But regardless, this is a real life situation not too far out of a scene from that Will Ferrell movie The Campaign. And watch because this could be a preview of what we are going to expect for 2022, and oh yes, it’s going to be a disaster!
Amid relentless sunshine and intensifying humidity, Nina Turner led a small procession of voters last week to a polling place on Cleveland’s east side, guiding the group down a long block to the crosswalk even though darting across the street would have been easier.
“We don’t want you breaking the law,” an aide admonished. “Let’s go down to the light.”
Turner built a national reputation as a leading voice for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns, bringing crowds in packed auditoriums to their feet with rousing calls for universal health care and bold action to combat climate change. But as she faces an election of her own next month, Turner is focused on more mundane aspects of campaigning, like avoiding jaywalking as she encourages supporters to vote and offering reassurances that her brand of politics still has a place in the Democratic Party.
“Something I can add, whether mainline Democrats get this or not, is I can speak the language of people from all walks of life,” Turner said in an interview. ”That is important for the expansion of the Democratic Party.”
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-government-and-politics-ohio-election-2020-7e7138649ddf69ef66078c760cb56496
“We don’t want you breaking the law,” an aide admonished. “Let’s go down to the light.”
Turner built a national reputation as a leading voice for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns, bringing crowds in packed auditoriums to their feet with rousing calls for universal health care and bold action to combat climate change. But as she faces an election of her own next month, Turner is focused on more mundane aspects of campaigning, like avoiding jaywalking as she encourages supporters to vote and offering reassurances that her brand of politics still has a place in the Democratic Party.
“Something I can add, whether mainline Democrats get this or not, is I can speak the language of people from all walks of life,” Turner said in an interview. ”That is important for the expansion of the Democratic Party.”
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-government-and-politics-ohio-election-2020-7e7138649ddf69ef66078c760cb56496
No, no! There’s no devil here, at least not yet. But watching from afar, I know that the best candidate in theory should win! You might be thinking “hey! How come a church is allowed to talk politics?” and I answer you – we’re testing the limits of 503(c). If Jerry Falwell Jr can hold MAGA rallies for the unholy Dark One, we can talk elections, can’t we? Well let’s get back to it, shall we?
It’s not even November and the mudslinging is well underway.
The race for Ohio’s 11th congressional district to replace Marcia Fudge is filled with negative ads and big-time accusations.
Democratic candidates Shontel Brown and Nina Turner are running in a special primary election scheduled for August 3.
The seat was vacated after Marcia Fudge left to become Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in President Joe Biden’s administration.
Monday afternoon, about a dozen clergy and community leaders gathered at Mt. Olive Baptist Church to show their support for Shontel Brown. They say Nina Turner’s campaign ads are lies. https://www.cleveland19.com/2021/07/20/cleveland-clergy-nina-turner-campaign-stop-negative-ads-towards-shontel-brown/https://www.cleveland19.com/2021/07/20/cleveland-clergy-nina-turner-campaign-stop-negative-ads-towards-shontel-brown/
The race for Ohio’s 11th congressional district to replace Marcia Fudge is filled with negative ads and big-time accusations.
Democratic candidates Shontel Brown and Nina Turner are running in a special primary election scheduled for August 3.
The seat was vacated after Marcia Fudge left to become Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in President Joe Biden’s administration.
Monday afternoon, about a dozen clergy and community leaders gathered at Mt. Olive Baptist Church to show their support for Shontel Brown. They say Nina Turner’s campaign ads are lies. https://www.cleveland19.com/2021/07/20/cleveland-clergy-nina-turner-campaign-stop-negative-ads-towards-shontel-brown/https://www.cleveland19.com/2021/07/20/cleveland-clergy-nina-turner-campaign-stop-negative-ads-towards-shontel-brown/
Yeah no that’s unfortunately not going to happen. You can wish it’s going to go away but as the good LAWRD says don’t wish it, do it. Well at least that’s what he says in our Good Book! But this sort of thing almost never ends well. In fact it really shows how divided we are as a country and that’s never a good thing by any stretch of the imagination! But needless to say things could get really ugly really quickly!
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders will keynote a get-out-the-vote rally for OH-11 congressional candidate Nina Turner on July 31st at the Agora Theater, Turner's campaign has announced. The rally will be followed by a march to the polls.
The 11:30 a.m. event will also feature local elected leaders and musical artists. But Sanders, the beloved but polarizing progressive legislator who nearly secured the Democratic nomination for President in 2016 and 2020, is the main draw. He is the highest profile national figure to support Turner's campaign, and joins Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who's traveling to Cleveland Saturday, as prominent politicians on the progressive left to throw their weight behind Turner in the weeks before the special election on Aug. 3.
Nina Turner was one of the first and most vocal surrogates for Sanders during his presidential runs and later led the organization, Our Revolution, that grew out of the Sanders campaign.
Sanders endorsed Turner early in the current race. The two are ideologically aligned. Both have championed policies like raising the minimum wage, canceling student debt and Medicare For All.
https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2021/07/21/bernie-sanders-to-keynote-nina-turner-rally-at-agora-july-31
The 11:30 a.m. event will also feature local elected leaders and musical artists. But Sanders, the beloved but polarizing progressive legislator who nearly secured the Democratic nomination for President in 2016 and 2020, is the main draw. He is the highest profile national figure to support Turner's campaign, and joins Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who's traveling to Cleveland Saturday, as prominent politicians on the progressive left to throw their weight behind Turner in the weeks before the special election on Aug. 3.
Nina Turner was one of the first and most vocal surrogates for Sanders during his presidential runs and later led the organization, Our Revolution, that grew out of the Sanders campaign.
Sanders endorsed Turner early in the current race. The two are ideologically aligned. Both have championed policies like raising the minimum wage, canceling student debt and Medicare For All.
https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2021/07/21/bernie-sanders-to-keynote-nina-turner-rally-at-agora-july-31
Yes folks, we will be keeping a close eye on this race, that is for certain! Until now, know that we do not take sides in this one, at least not yet! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:
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[font size="8"]People Who Somehow Got Elected: Kevin McCarthy
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Politicians at the state and local levels who are so toxic, you wonder how they’re able to get away with the things they get away with. This is:
This week – Kevin McCarthy. You know him best as the House Minority Leader and what conservatives refer to as the “anti-Pelosi”. So this week, a committee is being planned to investigate exactly what went down at the January 6th insurrection. That will be a day that will live in infamy because everyone remembers where they were when it happened. Most of us were probably at home watching the horrors unfold on TV. But now things are getting real as Nancy Pelosi has asked McCarthy to come up with a list of members who could serve on the committee. Well, that list was returned this week with all of the candidates being controversial. Needless to say, conservatives are going to try and derail this investigation before it begins.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy met with Donald Trump on Thursday at the former President's Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, as the California Republican is considering which members of his conference to appoint to a special committee tasked with investigating the deadly January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
In a statement after the meeting, McCarthy said he and Trump had a "productive conversation regarding House Republicans' record fundraising, upcoming Congressional special elections, and the latest work being carried out to target vulnerable Democrats."
"As the midterm elections draw closer, I look forward to working together to build upon our success in 2020 where House Republicans flipped 15 seats, lost zero incumbents and elected the most women in conference history," McCarthy said. "I appreciate President Trump's commitment to help House Republicans defeat Democrats and Take Back the House in 2022."
The meeting came the day after the select committee investigating the Capitol riot said it will hold its first public hearing on July 27, essentially setting a deadline for McCarthy to make his picks as to who will represent the GOP on the commission. Sources tell CNN that McCarthy intends to announce his selections before the first hearing.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/15/politics/donald-trump-kevin-mccarthy-meeting/index.html
In a statement after the meeting, McCarthy said he and Trump had a "productive conversation regarding House Republicans' record fundraising, upcoming Congressional special elections, and the latest work being carried out to target vulnerable Democrats."
"As the midterm elections draw closer, I look forward to working together to build upon our success in 2020 where House Republicans flipped 15 seats, lost zero incumbents and elected the most women in conference history," McCarthy said. "I appreciate President Trump's commitment to help House Republicans defeat Democrats and Take Back the House in 2022."
The meeting came the day after the select committee investigating the Capitol riot said it will hold its first public hearing on July 27, essentially setting a deadline for McCarthy to make his picks as to who will represent the GOP on the commission. Sources tell CNN that McCarthy intends to announce his selections before the first hearing.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/15/politics/donald-trump-kevin-mccarthy-meeting/index.html
That’s pretty much what the events were like that day, and probably how they are going to go once this committee actually gets underway. Good luck getting the big guns like Alex Jones or Donald Trump hauled before this committee because that’s probably not going to happen. But that said, this entire thing is turning into a game of chicken. So good luck finding someone who’s not compromised to lead this investigation!
Bernice King led the criticism of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy after the California Republican cited her father Martin Luther King Jr. to attack the teaching of critical race theory.
McCarthy on Monday joined conservatives misrepresenting critical race theory, claiming it “goes against everything Martin Luther King has ever told us.” He also accused “the Left” of “trying to take America backward.”
Bernice King, the civil rights leader’s youngest daughter, encouraged McCarthy to “study my father’s teachings & words well beyond the last lines of ‘I Have A Dream.’”
“This nation has yet to firmly commit to the intensive, multi-faceted work of eradicating racism against Black people,” King added. “You should help with that.”
https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/kevin-mccarthy-quoted-mlk-alexandria-115208537.html
McCarthy on Monday joined conservatives misrepresenting critical race theory, claiming it “goes against everything Martin Luther King has ever told us.” He also accused “the Left” of “trying to take America backward.”
Bernice King, the civil rights leader’s youngest daughter, encouraged McCarthy to “study my father’s teachings & words well beyond the last lines of ‘I Have A Dream.’”
“This nation has yet to firmly commit to the intensive, multi-faceted work of eradicating racism against Black people,” King added. “You should help with that.”
https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/kevin-mccarthy-quoted-mlk-alexandria-115208537.html
Yeah so that happened. And we’re pretty sure that MLK would have hated the MAGA crowd if he were still alive. But that said it’s going to be near impossible to find people in the conservative MAGA crowd who don’t have a vetted interest in derailing this committee. Giving someone like Jim Jordan a seat on this committee is akin to giving the alcoholic the keys to the liquor cabinet. It will have predictably disastrous results.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday issued a blanket threat during a meeting with freshmen members of his caucus that he would strip any Republican member of their committee assignments if they accept an offer from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the select committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection, according to two GOP sources with knowledge of the matter.
McCarthy's threat comes after the House voted to establish the committee. Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois were the only two Republican members to vote in favor of its formation. Pelosi, who can appoint eight members to the committee, announced Thursday that Cheney will serve on the committee.
McCarthy said Thursday that it's "shocking" that Cheney would accept an appointment to the select committee and did not deny that Cheney could lose her committee assignments as a result.
"I'm not making any threats about committee assignments, but you know how Congress works," McCarthy said when asked why Cheney would lose her committee assignments over the appointment. "You get elected by your district and you get your committees from your conference ... I don't know in history where someone would go get their committee assignments from the Speaker and expect to have them from the conference as well."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/01/politics/kevin-mccarthy-january-6-commission-committee-assignments/index.html
McCarthy's threat comes after the House voted to establish the committee. Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois were the only two Republican members to vote in favor of its formation. Pelosi, who can appoint eight members to the committee, announced Thursday that Cheney will serve on the committee.
McCarthy said Thursday that it's "shocking" that Cheney would accept an appointment to the select committee and did not deny that Cheney could lose her committee assignments as a result.
"I'm not making any threats about committee assignments, but you know how Congress works," McCarthy said when asked why Cheney would lose her committee assignments over the appointment. "You get elected by your district and you get your committees from your conference ... I don't know in history where someone would go get their committee assignments from the Speaker and expect to have them from the conference as well."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/01/politics/kevin-mccarthy-january-6-commission-committee-assignments/index.html
So he’s threatening members of his own party and actually made good on his threat. That said, he seems bent on leading conservatives off the cliff like the proverbial Pied Piper. But how long will this keep going on before we’ve had enough? Well that’s exactly what conservatives want is for this exact thing to happen. But expect more of this and just like the events of Jan. 6th, it will get worse before it gets better.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy says he will pull all five of his picks to serve on the select committee investigating the January 6 assault on the Capitol, if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn't rescind her rejection of two of his recommendations, Congressmen Jim Jordan and Jim Banks.
McCarthy made that announcement Wednesday afternoon, moments after Pelosi said, "With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan." She did not elaborate further on her decision to reject them.
Instead, McCarthy said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon that Republicans will conduct their own investigation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-jan-6-committee-picks-removed-pelosi-rejects-jim-jordan-jim-banks/
McCarthy made that announcement Wednesday afternoon, moments after Pelosi said, "With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan." She did not elaborate further on her decision to reject them.
Instead, McCarthy said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon that Republicans will conduct their own investigation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-jan-6-committee-picks-removed-pelosi-rejects-jim-jordan-jim-banks/
That’s San Fransisco’s Kevin McCarthy – yet another politician to add to the growing list of:
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[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to our segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable – Conspiracy Corner! We’re coming to you live from our underground doomsday bunker deep in the alkali flats of the New Mexico badlands – undisclosed location of course! Let me just adjust my trusty tin foil hat for maximum government interference – they are trying to read your thoughts you know! Well last week it was announced that a 22 year old bitcoin millionaire has come up with a communication device meant specifically for conservatives, MAGAs, and insurrectionists! But you know what? Why don’t I tell it in the form of an infomercial! Excuse me a minute… Tired of the same old $1200 smartphones and the app store that bans the apps that you want to use? Well why don’t you try… the Freedom Phone? It does everything your current phone does, except it has a crappier screen and is essentially a cheap Chinese knock off product with a 500% markup! Here’s more!
The Freedom Phone is a smartphone created by Erik Finman that claims to promote “free speech and privacy first,” according to the company’s website.
The phone has its own app store where no information is censored, allowing customers to read and watch whatever they want.
It also contains preloaded conservative apps, including ones that were banned by other app stores.
The freedom phone operates with its own software FreedomOS and has massive memory space, fast processors, front and back cameras, and all-day battery life.
What carrier does the Freedom Phone work with and how can I buy it?
The Freedom Phone works with major carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, & Sprint, and all other domestic & international ones.
The smartphone is available for purchase on the Freedom Phone’s website and will begin shipping in August of 2021.
https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/3284914/what-is-the-freedom-phone/
The phone has its own app store where no information is censored, allowing customers to read and watch whatever they want.
It also contains preloaded conservative apps, including ones that were banned by other app stores.
The freedom phone operates with its own software FreedomOS and has massive memory space, fast processors, front and back cameras, and all-day battery life.
What carrier does the Freedom Phone work with and how can I buy it?
The Freedom Phone works with major carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, & Sprint, and all other domestic & international ones.
The smartphone is available for purchase on the Freedom Phone’s website and will begin shipping in August of 2021.
https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/3284914/what-is-the-freedom-phone/
But wait there’s more! Sure you get your own operating system and a whole host of “unbannable” apps on the app store, but you know what else you get? A security nightmare! That’s right – the phone comes with an unsecured version of Android that poses risks to cyber security experts! So yeah once again the saying is true – if you fall for a con artist, don’t be surprised when you get conned! And that’s exactly what you get when you buy a Freedom Phone!
Ah, there’s nothing quite like the sweet smell of an easily debunked scam in the morning. Yesterday bitcoin millionaire Erik Finman unveiled the “Freedom Phone,” which he says is the “first major pushback on the Big Tech companies that attacked us - for just thinking different.” Turns out it’s just a super-cheap Android phone — and a security hellhole, at that.
The teaser video for Finman’s phone is so earnest it begins to read as a parody of itself before he’s even shown off the device. “The Big Tech overlords are violating your privacy and censoring your speech and I think that’s so wrong,” Finman narrates. “That’s why I created the Freedom Phone.”
Finman claims the Freedom Phone is truly the best phone in the world. He says it does everything your current phone does — except censor you and spy on you. It runs an operating system called “FreedomOS” and includes an app store called the “PatriApp Store.” (Are we sure this isn’t just a parody video?)
If it wasn’t clear from Finman’s cringey video, the Freedom Phone is a straight-up scam. And one that somehow manages to be worse at keeping your data secure than an average smartphone. Nice.
https://www.inputmag.com/tech/surprise-erik-finmans-freedom-phone-is-a-scam-a-privacy-horror
The teaser video for Finman’s phone is so earnest it begins to read as a parody of itself before he’s even shown off the device. “The Big Tech overlords are violating your privacy and censoring your speech and I think that’s so wrong,” Finman narrates. “That’s why I created the Freedom Phone.”
Finman claims the Freedom Phone is truly the best phone in the world. He says it does everything your current phone does — except censor you and spy on you. It runs an operating system called “FreedomOS” and includes an app store called the “PatriApp Store.” (Are we sure this isn’t just a parody video?)
If it wasn’t clear from Finman’s cringey video, the Freedom Phone is a straight-up scam. And one that somehow manages to be worse at keeping your data secure than an average smartphone. Nice.
https://www.inputmag.com/tech/surprise-erik-finmans-freedom-phone-is-a-scam-a-privacy-horror
I mean come on, seriously! Was that a parody or what? And by the way if you’re one of those super paranoid Alex Jones types who thinks that the government is watching your every move, you might actually be right if you buy one of these! But yes, to quote Homer Simpson, this whole thing is a scam, or possibly scamola. But making money off the MAGA crowd is seriously like shooting fish in a barrel. But while it may be easy to make money off the MAGAs, it’s posing some security risks!
Security experts are raising concerns over the “Freedom Phone,” a new device touted by prominent conservatives as both secure and censorship-resistant.
Unveiled on Wednesday by Erik Finman, the world’s youngest bitcoin millionaire, the $500 Freedom Phone claims to offer a series of robust privacy features as well as an uncensorable app store.
Finman states the Freedom Phone runs on a custom Android operating system known as “FreedomOS” and provides access to apps such as Parler, the social media service which had previously been banned from app stores in the wake of the Capitol riot.
The phone’s launch also came alongside numerous endorsements from popular right-wing figures such as Jack Posobiec and Candace Owens, who both offered their followers discount codes for the device. It remains unclear whether either individual is receiving financial kickbacks for promoting the Freedom Phone.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/freedom-phone-security-issues/
Unveiled on Wednesday by Erik Finman, the world’s youngest bitcoin millionaire, the $500 Freedom Phone claims to offer a series of robust privacy features as well as an uncensorable app store.
Finman states the Freedom Phone runs on a custom Android operating system known as “FreedomOS” and provides access to apps such as Parler, the social media service which had previously been banned from app stores in the wake of the Capitol riot.
The phone’s launch also came alongside numerous endorsements from popular right-wing figures such as Jack Posobiec and Candace Owens, who both offered their followers discount codes for the device. It remains unclear whether either individual is receiving financial kickbacks for promoting the Freedom Phone.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/freedom-phone-security-issues/
But wait there’s more! Buy the Freedom Phone now and you’ll not only get the security risks that come with it, but you’ll get apps loaded with porn spammers, malware, and hacking bots! Don’t be surprised when your credit card and identity are stolen if you buy anything through the apps! You know what? I’ll sleep easier at night knowing that I bought a phone that’s not a security risk. But here’s the thing- by paying $500 for a $130 phone, not only are you getting ripped off big time, you’re not really free from anything. But as PT Barnum once famously said – there’s a sucker born every minute!
It’s not every day that a new smartphone company pops up, claiming to offer a device that protects your “freedom of speech” from Big Tech. So, when Erik Finman, a self-proclaimed “Bitcoin millionaire,” announced the Freedom Phone yesterday, it piqued our interest. Finman claims that the Freedom Phone is “the first major pushback on Big Tech companies that attacked us [American conservatives],” and it features an “uncensorable app store” that will offer all the apps that have been banned on mainstream app stores. But is the phone actually all that Finman claims it to be? Let’s find out.
Before we talk about the phone itself, let’s establish some context. During the 2020 US Presidential Election run, Google removed the Parler app from the Play Store for lack of user-generated content moderation. On the other hand, Twitter permanently suspended former US President Donald Trump’s account for tweets that were “in violation of the Glorification of Violence Policy.” These two incidents, along with several others, led many right-wing people to believe that big tech companies like Twitter, Google, Facebook, and Amazon were biased against them and were violating their freedom of speech. According to Finman, the Freedom Phone will help users prevent such incidents, and his announcement video specifically mentions the Twitter ban on former US President Donald Trump as an inspiration for making the device.
https://www.xda-developers.com/freedom-phone-overpriced-smartphone/
Before we talk about the phone itself, let’s establish some context. During the 2020 US Presidential Election run, Google removed the Parler app from the Play Store for lack of user-generated content moderation. On the other hand, Twitter permanently suspended former US President Donald Trump’s account for tweets that were “in violation of the Glorification of Violence Policy.” These two incidents, along with several others, led many right-wing people to believe that big tech companies like Twitter, Google, Facebook, and Amazon were biased against them and were violating their freedom of speech. According to Finman, the Freedom Phone will help users prevent such incidents, and his announcement video specifically mentions the Twitter ban on former US President Donald Trump as an inspiration for making the device.
https://www.xda-developers.com/freedom-phone-overpriced-smartphone/
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[font size="8"]I Need A Drink: Woke Jungle Cruise
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Hey everyone! I don’t know about you but I could really use a drink!
Oh man! Look at all of you beautiful people! So great to be drinking back in front of an audience again, that’s what makes this segment work! So of course you know by now you know that the idea of this segment is that we have some drinks, and while we drink we discuss literally anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. Though we’re going to bend the rules a little bit this week – because “woke culture” as it’s now being called is taking over so much of our lives. And it’s mainly conservatives are doing the complaining. But we’re going to talk about the new and improved Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. So tell me bartender, what goes well with a story about jungles? A mojito? Eh… it does kind of look like a jungle. Eh, I’ll stick with my usual Jack Daniels mixed with Jack Daniels. Here’s more.
A ride at Disneyland that used to feature racist, colonialist depictions of Africans now emphasizes slapstick monkeys and chimpanzees besting clueless tourists instead.
Jungle Cruise, which originally opened in 1955, until recently featured spear-waving, headhunting Africans as part of the attraction. A revamped version of the ride opened Friday at Disney's theme park in Anaheim, Calif. Disney previously announced the ride will also be redone at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
Carmen Smith, who leads inclusion strategies for Disney's Imagineering arm (which creates the company's theme park attractions), said in a Los Angeles Times interview that the goal is to make sure that "everyone who comes to our parks is seen and that they're heard."
"When we look at something and realize the content is inappropriate, and may perpetuate a misconception or a stereotype," Smith told the newspaper, "our intention is to take a look at it critically, and figure out a way to enhance it, to make the necessary changes so it is relevant."
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/19/1017924398/disney-introduces-revamped-jungle-cruise-ride-without-racist-imagery
Jungle Cruise, which originally opened in 1955, until recently featured spear-waving, headhunting Africans as part of the attraction. A revamped version of the ride opened Friday at Disney's theme park in Anaheim, Calif. Disney previously announced the ride will also be redone at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
Carmen Smith, who leads inclusion strategies for Disney's Imagineering arm (which creates the company's theme park attractions), said in a Los Angeles Times interview that the goal is to make sure that "everyone who comes to our parks is seen and that they're heard."
"When we look at something and realize the content is inappropriate, and may perpetuate a misconception or a stereotype," Smith told the newspaper, "our intention is to take a look at it critically, and figure out a way to enhance it, to make the necessary changes so it is relevant."
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/19/1017924398/disney-introduces-revamped-jungle-cruise-ride-without-racist-imagery
Oh man does it feel good to be drinking in front of an actual audience again! And with a real bartender at that. You know what? Let’s chug another one. But that said, come on, even Dueling Banjos is a racist song now? Well that’s the kind of thing you’d hear from the MAGA crowd. But that said I’d much rather see the new changes and honestly isn’t seeing nature and wildlife on a ride like that much better than seeing mistreated humans? I think so!
Since the opening of Disneyland in 1955, the Jungle Cruise adventure ride featured racist and colonialist depictions of Indigenous peoples in Africa. Now, ahead of the upcoming film release of Jungle Cruise on July 30, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, the famed amusement park showcases a new version of the ride, sans the tribal caricatures.
Those who take a trip on the river through the replicated African jungle will no longer face head-hunting, spear-waving tribesmen who offer a trade of “two of his heads for one of yours.” Instead, chimpanzees and monkeys join the other animal animatronics in “slapstick” inspired scenes as the narrative for the ride shifts to the focusing on nature and the journey of a man who seeks to tame it.
“When we look at something and realize the content is inappropriate, and may perpetuate a misconception or a stereotype,” Carmen Smith, the head of inclusion strategies for Imagineering tells the LA Times, “Our intention is to take a look at it critically, and figure out a way to enhance it, to make the necessary changes so it is relevant.”
This is just the latest of many changes for the Jungle Cruise ride and many other rides at the park, as shifts have slowly been made to reflect the changes in our society. Jeanette Lomboy, the vice president who oversees the Disneyland Resort and Aulani, started at Disney as a ride operator in 1995, which was the first year Disney allowed women to lead a Jungle Cruise boat.
https://www.avclub.com/disneyland-reopens-the-jungle-cruise-ride-after-removin-1847327601
Those who take a trip on the river through the replicated African jungle will no longer face head-hunting, spear-waving tribesmen who offer a trade of “two of his heads for one of yours.” Instead, chimpanzees and monkeys join the other animal animatronics in “slapstick” inspired scenes as the narrative for the ride shifts to the focusing on nature and the journey of a man who seeks to tame it.
“When we look at something and realize the content is inappropriate, and may perpetuate a misconception or a stereotype,” Carmen Smith, the head of inclusion strategies for Imagineering tells the LA Times, “Our intention is to take a look at it critically, and figure out a way to enhance it, to make the necessary changes so it is relevant.”
This is just the latest of many changes for the Jungle Cruise ride and many other rides at the park, as shifts have slowly been made to reflect the changes in our society. Jeanette Lomboy, the vice president who oversees the Disneyland Resort and Aulani, started at Disney as a ride operator in 1995, which was the first year Disney allowed women to lead a Jungle Cruise boat.
https://www.avclub.com/disneyland-reopens-the-jungle-cruise-ride-after-removin-1847327601
Oh man that felt good! And that feels so good to be back doesn’t it? But you know why Disneyland is focusing on the Jungle Cruise? Because there’s a movie coming up! And besides, Disneyland’s cast members are getting “woke”. Eh… whatever I’m using their language. And I’m also getting drunk, really drunk. So what were we talking about again? Oh yeah Jungle Cruise is getting some changes and that’s about it!
Parkgoers at Disneyland and Disneyworld have long criticized the popular Jungle Cruise ride for its racist and offensive depictions of Indigenous people. And now, nearly 66 years after Disneyland’s inaugural opening day in 1955, the legacy ride has finally been revamped. It’s been a long battle for Disney fans, as Jungle Cruise has been one of the park’s oldest and most enduring experiences. But the combination of culture shifts and a new movie inspired by the ride have pushed the park into the future.
Disney’s Jungle Cruise, an action adventure film starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, hits theaters and streaming on July 30th, and with it comes the newly redesigned Jungle Cruise attraction, which has replaced its offensive portrayals of Indigenous people with more humorous animatronics that center on wildlife run amok. Disney has pivoted the ride to focus on the antics of monkeys and chimpanzees, who can now be seen playing with butterfly crates and messing with the Jungle Cruise expedition.
Jeanette Lomboy, the vice president who oversees the Disneyland Resort and Aulani, a resort in Hawaii, for Imagineering, had a personal connection to the iconic ride. She began working at Disneyland as a ride operator in 1995, which marked the first year that the park allowed women to play Jungle Cruise boat skippers. “Women weren’t allowed to be Jungle Cruise skippers, … To be honest, that I couldn’t be a Jungle Cruise skipper wasn’t something I realized when I was little. That, to me, was a shock. … Women weren’t even allowed to work on the Jungle Cruise. But that to me is progressive change, and you move along.”
https://www.themarysue.com/disneyland-revamps-problematic-jungle-cruise-ride-ahead-of-movie-premiere/
Disney’s Jungle Cruise, an action adventure film starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, hits theaters and streaming on July 30th, and with it comes the newly redesigned Jungle Cruise attraction, which has replaced its offensive portrayals of Indigenous people with more humorous animatronics that center on wildlife run amok. Disney has pivoted the ride to focus on the antics of monkeys and chimpanzees, who can now be seen playing with butterfly crates and messing with the Jungle Cruise expedition.
Jeanette Lomboy, the vice president who oversees the Disneyland Resort and Aulani, a resort in Hawaii, for Imagineering, had a personal connection to the iconic ride. She began working at Disneyland as a ride operator in 1995, which marked the first year that the park allowed women to play Jungle Cruise boat skippers. “Women weren’t allowed to be Jungle Cruise skippers, … To be honest, that I couldn’t be a Jungle Cruise skipper wasn’t something I realized when I was little. That, to me, was a shock. … Women weren’t even allowed to work on the Jungle Cruise. But that to me is progressive change, and you move along.”
https://www.themarysue.com/disneyland-revamps-problematic-jungle-cruise-ride-ahead-of-movie-premiere/
Ah that hit the spot! But fear not, the Jungle Cruise isn’t the only thing getting revamped for Disneyland now that it’s coming out of its’ COVID-induced slumber. Everything is getting changed from the way pass holders are greeted at the park to the nightly fireworks show. And the fact that it’s all inclusive is really getting the right’s collective underwear in a proverbial wad. Come on guys, who hurt you? Just enjoy things, it’s good for you!
Disney World has modified its traditional greeting to the audience on its nighttime fireworks display and other shows, a move that has created its own online explosion.
Instead of the longstanding “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” greeting, shows are now prefaced with one that swaps the gender specificity, subbing in “Dreamers of all ages.”
The change came to light at a Wednesday preview of the Orlando, Florida theme park’s “Happily Ever After” fireworks display. But the switch apparently extends throughout the Disney empire and is used in more than fireworks displays, as confirmed by a spokesperson for Tokyo Disneyland.
As word of the change circulated on social media, knee-jerk reactions condemning the move surfaced from those who apparently feel the embrace of diversity and inclusion has gone too far.
https://deadline.com/2021/07/disney-world-fireworks-announcement-changed-boys-and-girls-to-dreamers-inclusive-message-1234785914/
Instead of the longstanding “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” greeting, shows are now prefaced with one that swaps the gender specificity, subbing in “Dreamers of all ages.”
The change came to light at a Wednesday preview of the Orlando, Florida theme park’s “Happily Ever After” fireworks display. But the switch apparently extends throughout the Disney empire and is used in more than fireworks displays, as confirmed by a spokesperson for Tokyo Disneyland.
As word of the change circulated on social media, knee-jerk reactions condemning the move surfaced from those who apparently feel the embrace of diversity and inclusion has gone too far.
https://deadline.com/2021/07/disney-world-fireworks-announcement-changed-boys-and-girls-to-dreamers-inclusive-message-1234785914/
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[font size="8"]Red State Diaries Episode 2: The Arizona Recount
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Welcome back to our ongoing exit poll survey of the Red States of America and why they voted the way they did, or why they will vote the way they are going to! This is Red State Diaries! Last week we told you about how the idea of an election audit is spreading, even though there’s no basis for it, and the people counting votes are people who you wouldn’t trust to count to 100. This week we’re going back to the place where all of the madness started – Maricopa County, Arizona. Yes, you know Maricopa County as the home of the original conservative villain, former sheriff and current failed Senate candidate, Joe Arpaio! But make no mistake about it – this Arizona election audit is criminally insane and the people responsible should probably be locked up by the time it’s all over. But anyways here is the latest on this nonsense.
On Thursday, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann offered the public its clearest picture yet of the monthslong audit of Maricopa County’s election, holding a hearing with auditor, Cyber Ninjas CEO, and Hugo-Chavez-somehow-corrupted-the-2020-election-despite-being-dead conspiracy theorist Doug Logan.
Logan, whose work pretending to hand-tabulate the ballots and checking for bamboo fibers in ballot paper ended three weeks ago, offered very little about what his “recount” and “forensic analysis” had uncovered. He instead said that he had much work still to do and that he would save his “irrefutable” evidence for his final report. Logan is asking the state Senate to issue further subpoenas to the Republican-dominated Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (who have come to see the audit as a dangerous “circus”) and to let him go ahead with a countywide canvass that the U.S. Department of Justice has warned might violate federal law. Indeed, the only other Republican senator taking part in the hearing, Judiciary Committee Chairman Warren Petersen, made a show of repeatedly insisting that unless Logan is given what he wants, the audit will be “incomplete.”*
In other words, not much came out of the hearing except the likelihood that, as has been clear for months, the audit will be revealed as a haphazard attempt to cloud the 2020 election results for Arizona’s most populous county in doubt. What did come out, however, was plenty for Donald Trump.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/07/trump-declares-victory-arizona-audit-debunked.html
Logan, whose work pretending to hand-tabulate the ballots and checking for bamboo fibers in ballot paper ended three weeks ago, offered very little about what his “recount” and “forensic analysis” had uncovered. He instead said that he had much work still to do and that he would save his “irrefutable” evidence for his final report. Logan is asking the state Senate to issue further subpoenas to the Republican-dominated Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (who have come to see the audit as a dangerous “circus”) and to let him go ahead with a countywide canvass that the U.S. Department of Justice has warned might violate federal law. Indeed, the only other Republican senator taking part in the hearing, Judiciary Committee Chairman Warren Petersen, made a show of repeatedly insisting that unless Logan is given what he wants, the audit will be “incomplete.”*
In other words, not much came out of the hearing except the likelihood that, as has been clear for months, the audit will be revealed as a haphazard attempt to cloud the 2020 election results for Arizona’s most populous county in doubt. What did come out, however, was plenty for Donald Trump.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/07/trump-declares-victory-arizona-audit-debunked.html
Yeah sounds about right! But you seriously got to wonder if someone is feeding these people some bullshit. Because that bamboo theory was entirely that. But guess what? Despite all his mingling in the election, it turns out that this could in fact backfire on the Former Guy. As the state of Arizona is looking into pressing charges against him and Rudy for allowing the state to go through with this nonsense, and it’s not really based on anything either.
Donald Trump and key allies could be facing a criminal investigation in Arizona for launching a campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Last week Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs wrote to the state's Attorney General Mark Brnovich urging him to launch a criminal investigation into Trump and his allies over the potential violations of state election laws.
Hobbs, a Democrat, made the request after reporting from The Arizona Republic revealed details of the pressure campaign by Trump and a number of his allies.
Hobbs wrote that Trump and others, including his then-personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, and the lawyer Sidney Powell, tried to influence Maricopa County officials to stop the counting of ballots.
https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-trump-and-giuliani-could-face-vote-recount-criminal-probe-2021-7
Last week Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs wrote to the state's Attorney General Mark Brnovich urging him to launch a criminal investigation into Trump and his allies over the potential violations of state election laws.
Hobbs, a Democrat, made the request after reporting from The Arizona Republic revealed details of the pressure campaign by Trump and a number of his allies.
Hobbs wrote that Trump and others, including his then-personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, and the lawyer Sidney Powell, tried to influence Maricopa County officials to stop the counting of ballots.
https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-trump-and-giuliani-could-face-vote-recount-criminal-probe-2021-7
What those people said. But the sad thing is many have tried to take down The Donald and I hope this could finally be what gives him a one-way ticket to Supermax but as the old saying goes – wish in one hand and shit in the other, and see which one comes out first. But the surprising thing is this is having the reverse effect on the GOP and it’s totally backfiring on them and blowing up in their faces! Guess that’s what you get for hiring a company called “Cyber Ninjas”!
When Arizona Republicans first pushed for a partisan audit of the 2020 presidential ballots cast in the Phoenix metropolitan area, they argued that they needed to know if any irregularities or fraud caused President Trump to lose this rapidly evolving swing state.
But the audit itself could be damaging Republican prospects, according to a new Bendixen & Amandi International poll, which shows roughly half of Arizona voters oppose the recount effort. In addition, a narrow majority favors President Biden in a 2024 rematch against Trump.
The news isn’t entirely promising for Democrats, however: A majority of voters don’t think Biden should run for a second term.
Trump has cheered on the Maricopa County audit and continued to advance baseless conspiracy theories about election fraud as Republicans from other states he lost have made pilgrimages to Phoenix to review the idea of exporting the concept. But Arizona Republicans who pay close attention to the state’s changing demographics say the audit isn’t a political winner.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/29/arizona-ballot-audit-gop-biden-496908
But the audit itself could be damaging Republican prospects, according to a new Bendixen & Amandi International poll, which shows roughly half of Arizona voters oppose the recount effort. In addition, a narrow majority favors President Biden in a 2024 rematch against Trump.
The news isn’t entirely promising for Democrats, however: A majority of voters don’t think Biden should run for a second term.
Trump has cheered on the Maricopa County audit and continued to advance baseless conspiracy theories about election fraud as Republicans from other states he lost have made pilgrimages to Phoenix to review the idea of exporting the concept. But Arizona Republicans who pay close attention to the state’s changing demographics say the audit isn’t a political winner.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/29/arizona-ballot-audit-gop-biden-496908
So yeah so the Former Guy is doing everything he can to sabotage the early days of Biden’s presidency – and probably the latter days as well. But let’s say that the Arizona audit is going to blow up in his face like the way that Wiley Coyote uses Acme brand dynamite. But the sad and scary thing is this madness isn’t limited to Arizona. As we explore the Red States in the coming weeks, we’ll find that there’s much more to this than meets the eye, and it’s spreading. Another disease we must contain before it’s too late!
Democracy relies on winners and losers - but there is a section of the US electorate that won't trust results when Donald Trump is the loser.
Volunteers in a bright green, blue and yellow t-shirts use matching spinning turntables to review stacks of ballots. Others photograph them or scrutinise folds in the paper.
It was June 2021, and ballots from the 2020 presidential election were still being counted here in a stadium in Maricopa, Arizona's largest county.
The unusual, Republican-led audit of the state's election result, in which Joe Biden was declared the winner of the race in Arizona by the slimmest of margins, began in April.
The process is hailed as a "forensic" truth finding mission by former President Donald Trump and his supporters - but critics consider it a "fraudit" fueled by sore losers.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57558537
Volunteers in a bright green, blue and yellow t-shirts use matching spinning turntables to review stacks of ballots. Others photograph them or scrutinise folds in the paper.
It was June 2021, and ballots from the 2020 presidential election were still being counted here in a stadium in Maricopa, Arizona's largest county.
The unusual, Republican-led audit of the state's election result, in which Joe Biden was declared the winner of the race in Arizona by the slimmest of margins, began in April.
The process is hailed as a "forensic" truth finding mission by former President Donald Trump and his supporters - but critics consider it a "fraudit" fueled by sore losers.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57558537
[font size="4"]Next Week: [/font]
Is audit madness spreading to Idaho? What we’re finding is some serious insanity that is spreading throughout the country!
Thank you San Jose! We’re off to San Diego next! See you next week!
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