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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-12: Three Men & A Subpoena Edition
Last edited Tue Nov 2, 2021, 06:39 PM - Edit history (2)
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #11-12: Three Men & A Subpoena Edition
Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! What’s up Salt Lake City? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? Great! So I do have to say that episode 1 of our first ever spinoff series - Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons was an absolutely rousing success! We’ll be back on 10/24 for episode 2 and I promise that it’s going to be a good one! And I do want to say that we’ve been renewed for season 12 which means the return of Stupidest State 2022! Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do! So let me ask you something my fair audience – do we really need another Home Alone? I am so damn tired of sequels and reboots that I am getting to the point where I can’t stand this shit anymore. But the Home Alone reboot is definitely approaching ridiculous territory. And come on let’s face it – Home Alone doesn’t really hold up much anymore. And I refuse to acknowledge the existence of Home Alone 2 because it has the worst human being in the world in a cameo. Let’s also face it – I had no idea Home Alone 3 even existed and it’s one of the worst sequels ever. Can we stop remaking things now? This is getting ridiculous! OK rant over. Enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to but first John Oliver is back and he discusses the one subject that is about as bad for your brain as any number of drugs – misinformation!
Man this week was a banner week for conservative idiocy wasn’t it? In the number one slot this week is the GOP (1). Bill Maher dropped a bombshell of a New Rule last week which showed how the republicans are part of a slow moving coup against the United States and we’re going to break it down and examine how it could happen from our perspective. In the second slot this week is AT&T. Did they help unleash the beast known as OAN? Yeah they did, and fuck them! In the number 3 slot is Steve Bannon (3) who is aiding Rudy Giuliani and Ali Alexander in defying Congressional orders to subpoena about where they were on January 6th. In the number 4 slot this week is anti-vaxxers (4) which includes the extreme violence coming from Italian anti-vaxxers, while our home grown bioterrorists are making a bizarre claim about the recent Southwest Airlines fiasco. Taking the number 5 slot this week is Elon Musk (5). So Tesla has officially left California for greener pastures in Texas and that’s largely so Elon can afford some nice tax breaks. In the number 6 slot this week is of course our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10- and this week is another gathering of hardline MAGAs known as the “Pray Vote Stand Festival”, formerly known as the Values Voters Summit. New identity and the same bullshit from the Christian right that you’ve always known! In the number 7 slot this week is a new edition of This Fucking Guy and this week we’re going after Eric Clapton (7). Yes, the guy who was almost once a Beatle, is a hard right anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist, and he’s getting raked over the coals for his beliefs! In the number 8 slot this week is a new Conspiracy Corner (8) and this week the Gabby Petito murder has reached ridiculous heights with Dog The Bounty Hunter involved, but is it really a ploy by him to get back on TV? Probably. In the number 9 (NEIN!!) slot this week we have a new “I Need A Drink” and this week we’re finally taking a look at the bizarre obsession of celebrities who refuse to bathe properly in a piece we’re calling “Stanky Ass Celebs”. Finally this week in Red State Diaries (10) we’ve got highlights from the Orange One’s latest MAGA rally and it’s quite possibly one of his most insane yet. But we’ll say that next time too. And we’ve got some live music from the great Twenty One Pilots! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!
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[font size="8"]The GOP
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You know we had a much different entry for this one, about the Amp Fesitval in Miami, but I hated the entry so I threw it out. And we normally don’t talk about editorials on this show. But we have to talk about Bill Maher from last week. Because he really hit the nail on the head about how republicans and conservatives could steal 2024 from us. In fact before we go any further let’s roll the clip. Watch it in its’ entirety.
Yeah holy shit indeed! That’s some scary dark prophecies right there. The thing is we dodged the most massive of bullets in 2020. But that bullet does have the potential to ricochet. See we’ve been talking a long time about how conservatives have the potential to steal elections and they almost got away with it in 2020. Almost. But in 2024? We should expect that the MAGAs will be prepared for an all out war with the US government if they don’t win in a landslide.
In a bombshell report issued last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee painted a disturbing picture of what the United States could become if something drastic isn’t done to halt the slide into single-party rule — and soon.
Particularly troubling in the report titled “Subverting Justice: How the Former President and His Allies Pressured DOJ to Overturn the 2020 Election” is the foreshadowing of how former President Trump will undoubtedly again abuse the Justice Department if he or one of his allies becomes president in 2025. America has seen this ugliness before. The abuses of the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, have been described by historians as “little less than blackmail of prominent public officials and private citizens and personal intimidation toward any person or institution daring to question his authority,” including the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr.
What America is facing with a possible second Trump presidency is the potential for widespread spying, bullying and retaliation of U.S. citizens based on their perceived loyalty or disloyalty to the Oval Office occupant.
Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher offered a chilling, must-watch preview of the U.S. 2024 presidential election, warning, “I hope I scared the shit out of you.” Yes, we should all be scared.”
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/576249-whats-at-stake-if-trump-wins-in-2024-single-party-authoritarian-rule
Particularly troubling in the report titled “Subverting Justice: How the Former President and His Allies Pressured DOJ to Overturn the 2020 Election” is the foreshadowing of how former President Trump will undoubtedly again abuse the Justice Department if he or one of his allies becomes president in 2025. America has seen this ugliness before. The abuses of the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, have been described by historians as “little less than blackmail of prominent public officials and private citizens and personal intimidation toward any person or institution daring to question his authority,” including the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr.
What America is facing with a possible second Trump presidency is the potential for widespread spying, bullying and retaliation of U.S. citizens based on their perceived loyalty or disloyalty to the Oval Office occupant.
Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher offered a chilling, must-watch preview of the U.S. 2024 presidential election, warning, “I hope I scared the shit out of you.” Yes, we should all be scared.”
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/576249-whats-at-stake-if-trump-wins-in-2024-single-party-authoritarian-rule
Yes… oh shit indeed! And they may actually get away with it too. So let’s extrapolate and see how this dark prophecy could play out, shall we? Let’s start with our old buddy Mike Lindell. Yes, Creepy Pillow Man might be back on the pipe again. Because let’s take a look at his latest claim. First he claimed that there was an 850 year old man who voted in the election. Which is weird because America isn’t even that old. Then there was this.
Nearly one year after former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, MyPillow CEO and fierce Trump loyalist Mike Lindell is still espousing a string of bizarre - and false - claims about the election results.
This time, the right-wing businessman trumpeted a conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of people voted using a fake address and phone number in Wisconsin to help Biden win the battleground state that Trump took in 2016.
Without offering any evidence, Lindell, during an interview on his own website, michaeljlindell.com, suggested 23,000 people voted using the same prison address in the state and claimed "a lot of them" weren't even alive.
"If you can pull up, I'm gonna show you guys in Wisconsin, just an example, how 23,000 people voted using a prison address and used the same phone number," he said. "And a lot of them were people that turned out, as we dove into it, they're not alive anymore, they just used their names obviously, and they don't live in Wisconsin."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mike-lindell-is-still-spreading-lies-about-the-2020-election-he-most-recently-claimed-23000-dead-people-voted-in-wisconsin-using-a-prison-address/ar-AAPrvRt
6
This time, the right-wing businessman trumpeted a conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of people voted using a fake address and phone number in Wisconsin to help Biden win the battleground state that Trump took in 2016.
Without offering any evidence, Lindell, during an interview on his own website, michaeljlindell.com, suggested 23,000 people voted using the same prison address in the state and claimed "a lot of them" weren't even alive.
"If you can pull up, I'm gonna show you guys in Wisconsin, just an example, how 23,000 people voted using a prison address and used the same phone number," he said. "And a lot of them were people that turned out, as we dove into it, they're not alive anymore, they just used their names obviously, and they don't live in Wisconsin."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mike-lindell-is-still-spreading-lies-about-the-2020-election-he-most-recently-claimed-23000-dead-people-voted-in-wisconsin-using-a-prison-address/ar-AAPrvRt
6
Holy shit! Bart wasn’t that far off there! But that’s just one possible way that the fuckheads (formerly known as MAGAs) can steal the 2024 election. I mean look we’re three years away and I wouldn’t put it past them that they’re planning the steal now. And Trump and his supporters would carry out the next holocaust if enabled! I’m convinced that if social media conspiracies had been around in 1940 we’d currently be under Nazi rule and I am not exaggerating that! But let’s look at another angle on how they could steal 2024 – rewriting history and make no mistake they will attempt that.
Nine months after the attack on the US Capitol, Republicans in Congress are defending Donald Trump's role on January 6 in some of their strongest terms yet -- and signaling he'd have widespread backing from the party if he ran for president again in 2024.
Republicans from across the conference -- including some who are vulnerable in next year's midterms or have long been seen as part of the establishment wing of the party -- are expressing little to no reservations about the prospect of Trump topping the ticket again, even as he continues to spread the same election lies that led a mob to storm their place of work. Some GOP members are cheering on a Trump comeback, saying he remains a popular figure and powerful force in the party. And there's widespread agreement among Republicans that Trump would be the automatic frontrunner -- and freeze the primary field -- if he chooses to jump in.
Even some Republicans in swing districts -- like Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey -- are embracing Trump's potential return into the political fray.
"Yes, I would," Van Drew, who switched parties and became a Republican in 2019 to defend Trump during his first impeachment proceedings, said when asked if he would back the ex-President if he ran again in 2024.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/politics/congressional-republicans-trump-president-2024/index.html
Republicans from across the conference -- including some who are vulnerable in next year's midterms or have long been seen as part of the establishment wing of the party -- are expressing little to no reservations about the prospect of Trump topping the ticket again, even as he continues to spread the same election lies that led a mob to storm their place of work. Some GOP members are cheering on a Trump comeback, saying he remains a popular figure and powerful force in the party. And there's widespread agreement among Republicans that Trump would be the automatic frontrunner -- and freeze the primary field -- if he chooses to jump in.
Even some Republicans in swing districts -- like Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey -- are embracing Trump's potential return into the political fray.
"Yes, I would," Van Drew, who switched parties and became a Republican in 2019 to defend Trump during his first impeachment proceedings, said when asked if he would back the ex-President if he ran again in 2024.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/politics/congressional-republicans-trump-president-2024/index.html
Well us too! Because the path to authoritarianism like Bill Maher described, is a slow moving coup, and it will sneak up on you before you realize that it’s too late. We should be paying attention to what they are doing now, and we should be alarmed at their every move. It’s not a slow moving coup. Conspiracy theories are a cancer and they are dangerous. We should be giving them a heavy dose of chemotherapy, but instead ones like Q Anon have metastasized and grown. We’re at stage 4. Next step? It kills the host and good night everybody! Sleep tight!
It started as one big, false claim — that the election was stolen from Donald Trump.
But nearly a year later, the Big Lie is metastasizing, with Republicans throughout the country raising the specter of rigged elections in their own campaigns ahead of the midterms.
The preemptive spin is everywhere. Last week it was Larry Elder in California, who — before getting trounced in the GOP’s failed effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom — posted a “Stop Fraud” page on his campaign website. Before that, at a rally in Virginia, state Sen. Amanda Chase introduced herself as a surrogate for gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin and told the crowd, “Because the Democrats like to cheat, you have to cast your vote before they do.” In Nevada, Adam Laxalt, the former state attorney general running to unseat Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, is already talking about filing lawsuits to “tighten up the election” — more than a year before votes are cast. And in Pennsylvania, former Rep. Lou Barletta, who is running for governor after losing a Senate race two years earlier, said he “had to consider” whether a Republican could ever win a race again in his state given the current administration of elections there.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/20/election-fraud-conspiracies-infect-midterms-512783
But nearly a year later, the Big Lie is metastasizing, with Republicans throughout the country raising the specter of rigged elections in their own campaigns ahead of the midterms.
The preemptive spin is everywhere. Last week it was Larry Elder in California, who — before getting trounced in the GOP’s failed effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom — posted a “Stop Fraud” page on his campaign website. Before that, at a rally in Virginia, state Sen. Amanda Chase introduced herself as a surrogate for gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin and told the crowd, “Because the Democrats like to cheat, you have to cast your vote before they do.” In Nevada, Adam Laxalt, the former state attorney general running to unseat Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, is already talking about filing lawsuits to “tighten up the election” — more than a year before votes are cast. And in Pennsylvania, former Rep. Lou Barletta, who is running for governor after losing a Senate race two years earlier, said he “had to consider” whether a Republican could ever win a race again in his state given the current administration of elections there.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/20/election-fraud-conspiracies-infect-midterms-512783
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[font size="8"]AT&T
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RIP Liberal media. 1920 – 2021. You will be missed. The cause of death? Well AT&T might just be the cause of it. I do have to say that thank god I am no longer an AT&T customer because I would have canceled whatever contract I have because of it. Because there was a massive bombshell this week dropped by Reuters that AT&T were the ones behind the pro-Trump conservative network One America News, or OAN. That’s right – the network that openly flaunts pro-Trump conspiracy theories and occasionally goes full Q Anon may have been the brainchild of AT&T executives. And look even the “liberal media” that they constantly rail against isn’t really that liberal. But this takes that entire talking point and turns it on its’ ear. This is quite possibly one of the most egregious things anyone can do, and if corporations are people, AT&T should be facing serious punishment for this.
One America News, the far-right network whose fortunes and viewership rose amid the triumph and tumult of the Trump administration, has flourished with support from a surprising source: AT&T Inc, the world's largest communications company.
A Reuters review of court records shows the role AT&T played in creating and funding OAN, a network that continues to spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic.
OAN founder and chief executive Robert Herring Sr has testified that the inspiration to launch OAN in 2013 came from AT&T executives.
“They told us they wanted a conservative network,” Herring said during a 2019 deposition seen by Reuters. “They only had one, which was Fox News, and they had seven others on the other [leftwing] side. When they said that, I jumped to it and built one.”
Since then, AT&T has been a crucial source of funds flowing into OAN, providing tens of millions of dollars in revenue, court records show. Ninety percent of OAN’s revenue came from a contract with AT&T-owned television platforms, including satellite broadcaster DirecTV, according to 2020 sworn testimony by an OAN accountant.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-oneamerica-att/
A Reuters review of court records shows the role AT&T played in creating and funding OAN, a network that continues to spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic.
OAN founder and chief executive Robert Herring Sr has testified that the inspiration to launch OAN in 2013 came from AT&T executives.
“They told us they wanted a conservative network,” Herring said during a 2019 deposition seen by Reuters. “They only had one, which was Fox News, and they had seven others on the other [leftwing] side. When they said that, I jumped to it and built one.”
Since then, AT&T has been a crucial source of funds flowing into OAN, providing tens of millions of dollars in revenue, court records show. Ninety percent of OAN’s revenue came from a contract with AT&T-owned television platforms, including satellite broadcaster DirecTV, according to 2020 sworn testimony by an OAN accountant.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-oneamerica-att/
Wow, that is quite the bombshell! Now before you boo, and you absolutely should boo AT&T for this, but what makes this even worse is that this is a win for Q Anon conspiracy theorists. That’s right – funding a network that caters to the lunatic fringe has devastating consequences. And we saw those come to fruition on January 6th. And even now, they run clips like this on their show that just flaunt election conspiracy theories and pro-Trump bullshit. And that is what makes OAN dangerous, but now that Reuters has Scooby Doo’d them and pulled off their masks, we know who’s really behind them!
Operating on the ragged edge of legality, right-wing news outlet One America News Network, or OAN, appears to have a very strange bedfellow, at least according to an alarming report from Reuters. In the piece, it describes how telecommunications giant AT&T (NYSE:T) funded the agency often responsible for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories. Naturally, investors are worried about the potential fallout to T stock.
As political analysts have pointed out, two key narratives are at play here: one is the societal and political aspect of funding a fringe network. Second is the economic angle. For the former, it’s very difficult to have the warm and fuzzies for T stock. This isn’t just about a difference of opinion. Rather, OAN hawks irresponsible ideas.
Indeed, The Independent called out an OAN host for calling for the execution of “traitors” who “stole” the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Honestly, it’s hard to distinguish some of OAN’s talking points to that of QAnon, the infamous far-right conspiracy movement. Therefore, the fear that T stock could suffer from the association is a real one.
For its part, AT&T denied funding OAN nor has it ever had a financial interest in its success, per a Newsweek article. If this happens to be another example of an overzealous report jumping to conclusions, then investors may be penalizing T stock prematurely.
https://investorplace.com/2021/10/t-stock-latest-controversy-yuge-win-qanon/
As political analysts have pointed out, two key narratives are at play here: one is the societal and political aspect of funding a fringe network. Second is the economic angle. For the former, it’s very difficult to have the warm and fuzzies for T stock. This isn’t just about a difference of opinion. Rather, OAN hawks irresponsible ideas.
Indeed, The Independent called out an OAN host for calling for the execution of “traitors” who “stole” the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Honestly, it’s hard to distinguish some of OAN’s talking points to that of QAnon, the infamous far-right conspiracy movement. Therefore, the fear that T stock could suffer from the association is a real one.
For its part, AT&T denied funding OAN nor has it ever had a financial interest in its success, per a Newsweek article. If this happens to be another example of an overzealous report jumping to conclusions, then investors may be penalizing T stock prematurely.
https://investorplace.com/2021/10/t-stock-latest-controversy-yuge-win-qanon/
Yeah we can’t even begin to emphasize how much AT&T sucks for what they did. If they took sides they absolutely chose the wrong one. It’d be like playing a game of darts and instead of hitting the target, you hit the pole on the right and then claim you were actually trying to hit the target. Not the best analogy but you get my point. But even the president of AT&T admitted that they were the ones behind OAN, now let’s pull off their mask and find out who they really are!
OAN is a little-watched channel headquartered in San Diego that was founded in 2013 by California businessman Robert Herring. But it has grown in popularity in recent years due in large part to promotion by former President Donald Trump.
The outlet has been notorious for pushing misinformation about the coronavirus as well as being one of the main promoters of the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.
But until Reuters published its reporting on Wednesday, little was known about AT&T's role in the founding of the channel.
Herring filed a lawsuit in 2016 against AT&T, alleging the company had violated an agreement to carry his channel on DirecTV, which it owned at the time (AT&T still owns 70% of DirecTV, which has been spun off into a standalone company). In a court document as part of the lawsuit, which was reviewed by CNN, Herring said that when he was thinking about creating a new cable channel, AT&T advised him to launch a news network.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/06/media/att-oan/index.html
The outlet has been notorious for pushing misinformation about the coronavirus as well as being one of the main promoters of the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.
But until Reuters published its reporting on Wednesday, little was known about AT&T's role in the founding of the channel.
Herring filed a lawsuit in 2016 against AT&T, alleging the company had violated an agreement to carry his channel on DirecTV, which it owned at the time (AT&T still owns 70% of DirecTV, which has been spun off into a standalone company). In a court document as part of the lawsuit, which was reviewed by CNN, Herring said that when he was thinking about creating a new cable channel, AT&T advised him to launch a news network.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/06/media/att-oan/index.html
Damn straight! AT&T funded a steaming load of grade A certified bullshit. You might as well slap a pile of horse manure with an AT&T logo and then feed it ivermectin. Yeah thank you for that image graphics department! Though I do love that they are being raked over the coals for their decision to fund this bastion of fake news. And especially John Oliver. That man is a national treasure. I don’t care if he’s British, we’re claiming him!
John Oliver’s still enjoying his return to a live audience, and this week, he fired shots at Fox and Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade for his most awkward obsession, but before that happened, the Last Week Tonight host wasn’t afraid (as he never is) to spare some words to skewer some right-leaning actions of current HBO parent company AT&T. Only one month ago, Oliver took aim at the multinational conglomerate for making political donations to Texas legislators who worked to pass Texas’ insane new abortion law. And last week, a Reuters investigative report revealed how AT&T played a massive role “in creating and funding OAN,” the conservative news network (and Fox News competitor) that continues to peddle baseless (and dangerous) election-fraud and pandemic-centered conspiracy theories.
As Oliver put things, AT&T has been “up to some sh*t.” This follows Reuters’ reporting of testimony from OAN CEO and founder, Robert Herring Sr., who stated (during a deposition) that AT&T executives “told us they wanted a conservative network.” To that, Herring says that he jumped at the offering, and Oliver is not impressed because AT&T reportedly funds 90% of what’s essentially a far-right-wing factory at Herring Networks.
“AT&T is still technically our business daddy,” Oliver explained while beginning his rant. “Making OAN our business step-sibling, and not in a hot way.” In the end, this grew very dramatic. “You’re a terrible company. You do bad things. and you make the world worse.”
https://uproxx.com/tv/john-oliver-hbo-att-oan-funding/
As Oliver put things, AT&T has been “up to some sh*t.” This follows Reuters’ reporting of testimony from OAN CEO and founder, Robert Herring Sr., who stated (during a deposition) that AT&T executives “told us they wanted a conservative network.” To that, Herring says that he jumped at the offering, and Oliver is not impressed because AT&T reportedly funds 90% of what’s essentially a far-right-wing factory at Herring Networks.
“AT&T is still technically our business daddy,” Oliver explained while beginning his rant. “Making OAN our business step-sibling, and not in a hot way.” In the end, this grew very dramatic. “You’re a terrible company. You do bad things. and you make the world worse.”
https://uproxx.com/tv/john-oliver-hbo-att-oan-funding/
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[font size="8"]Steve Bannon
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The slow moving coup has already metastasized and is quickly becoming a cancer. The conservatives’ war on Joe Biden has escalated to the point where – I am not making this up – this happened.
Yeah I shit you not! They actually tried to disguise a “Fuck Joe Biden” chant as if the audience has been saying “Let’s Go Brandon!”. Which I can assure you they most certainly did not. And we wonder why ordinary people fell for the Nazis. But this isn’t about that, we’ll save that more for the next entry. This entry is instead going to be about the beginning of the slow moving coup being orchestrated by Steve Bannon, Ali Alexander, and Rudy Guiliani defying orders to testify about their involvement in the January 6th fast moving coup. Or as I’m calling this, Three Men And A Subpoena. Thank you very much, graphics department! So here’s Steve Bannon’s role in all of this. He’s predicting use of a private MAGA army to carry out Trump’s evil biddings in the 2024 election if it doesn’t go 100% their way. And this is why conspiracy theories are dangerous.
Donald Trump’s former White House strategist Steve Bannon on Saturday evoked a dystopian future when he called for “shock troops” to quickly “deconstruct” the state as soon as a Republican takes the Oval Office again.
Bannon made the chilling comments in a phone interview on NBC News after it reported that he had met Wednesday with the party faithful to urge them to be prepared to “reconfigure the government” with a Republican leader.
Bannon, who ran Trump’s 2016 campaign, said the former president’s agenda packing the government with loyalists was delayed because he couldn’t move quickly enough to fill some 4,000 posts.
Bannon spoke at the Capitol Hill Club Wednesday at the invitation of a new organization called the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, according to NBC. The group was formed as a resource for future GOP officials to tap into to quickly fill federal jobs.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/steve-bannon-gop-shock-troops-deconstruct-the-state-nbc_n_6158e747e4b05040d1db8f34
Bannon made the chilling comments in a phone interview on NBC News after it reported that he had met Wednesday with the party faithful to urge them to be prepared to “reconfigure the government” with a Republican leader.
Bannon, who ran Trump’s 2016 campaign, said the former president’s agenda packing the government with loyalists was delayed because he couldn’t move quickly enough to fill some 4,000 posts.
Bannon spoke at the Capitol Hill Club Wednesday at the invitation of a new organization called the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, according to NBC. The group was formed as a resource for future GOP officials to tap into to quickly fill federal jobs.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/steve-bannon-gop-shock-troops-deconstruct-the-state-nbc_n_6158e747e4b05040d1db8f34
Yeah that’s putting it lightly! But that said, while Congress is putting pressure on the trio of traitors to appear at the next round of January 6th hearings, they’re laughing at the prospect of actually having to testify. Because let’s face it, if you’re a white man and you have an R next to your name and firmly subscribe to the cult beliefs, you can pretty much get away with murder. But that said, Mr. Bannon is in the process of forming a far right power grab, which will hit you like a ton of bricks.
Scores of former Trump political appointees gathered at a GOP social club Wednesday night to hear Steve Bannon detail how they could help the next Republican president reconfigure government.
"If you’re going to take over the administrative state and deconstruct it, then you have to have shock troops prepared to take it over immediately," Bannon said in a telephone interview with NBC News. "I gave 'em fire and brimstone."
Bannon, who ran former President Donald Trump's first campaign and later worked as a top adviser in the White House, said that Trump's agenda was delayed by the challenges of quickly filling roughly 4,000 slots for presidential appointees at federal agencies and the steep learning curve for political officials who were new to Washington.
He is not alone in that view. His appearance at the Capitol Hill Club came at the invitation of a new organization called the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, which was formed to create a resource for future GOP officials tapped to fill federal jobs.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/bannon-fires-shock-troops-next-gop-white-house-n1280591?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma
"If you’re going to take over the administrative state and deconstruct it, then you have to have shock troops prepared to take it over immediately," Bannon said in a telephone interview with NBC News. "I gave 'em fire and brimstone."
Bannon, who ran former President Donald Trump's first campaign and later worked as a top adviser in the White House, said that Trump's agenda was delayed by the challenges of quickly filling roughly 4,000 slots for presidential appointees at federal agencies and the steep learning curve for political officials who were new to Washington.
He is not alone in that view. His appearance at the Capitol Hill Club came at the invitation of a new organization called the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, which was formed to create a resource for future GOP officials tapped to fill federal jobs.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/bannon-fires-shock-troops-next-gop-white-house-n1280591?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma
Yeah they’re moving about this at the same pace as Wiley Coyote is attempting to catch the Road Runner, and with the same quality Acme branded products. But if Steve Bannon doesn’t scare the shit out of you, he absolutely should. He might just be the link in Trump’s slow moving coup. They say it’s a game of however many dimensions of chess there are, and it seems like they add a new one every week or so. It’s more like a game of dominoes. They’re setting up the pieces right now as we speak.
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot will "swiftly consider" holding one-time Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, and potentially others, in contempt of Congress for ignoring committee subpoenas, committee chairman Bennie Thompson vice-chair Liz Cheney said Friday.
The move came after Bannon formally advised the committee that he would be unable to comply with their requests, citing former President Donald Trump's intention to invoke executive privilege. In a letter obtained by ABC News, Bannon's lawyers said that until the matter is settled in court, they will not comply with the committee's subpoena.
The committee last month issued subpoenas to Bannon and other top Trump aides Mark Meadows, Kash Patel and Dan Scavino, as part of its probe into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. An additional 11 subpoenas were issued last week to organizers of the pro-Trump rally that preceded the attack.
Meadows, a former White House chief of staff, and Patel, an ex-Pentagon official, are "engaging" with the committee, officials said. The committee had no update on the status of Scavino.
"While Mr. Meadows and Mr. Patel are, so far, engaging with the Select Committee, Mr. Bannon has indicated that he will try to hide behind vague references to privileges of the former President," Thompson and Cheney said in a joint statement. "The Select Committee fully expects all of these witnesses to comply with our demands for both documents and deposition testimony."
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/jan-committee-swiftly-criminal-contempt-steve-bannon-ignore/story?id=80486293
The move came after Bannon formally advised the committee that he would be unable to comply with their requests, citing former President Donald Trump's intention to invoke executive privilege. In a letter obtained by ABC News, Bannon's lawyers said that until the matter is settled in court, they will not comply with the committee's subpoena.
The committee last month issued subpoenas to Bannon and other top Trump aides Mark Meadows, Kash Patel and Dan Scavino, as part of its probe into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. An additional 11 subpoenas were issued last week to organizers of the pro-Trump rally that preceded the attack.
Meadows, a former White House chief of staff, and Patel, an ex-Pentagon official, are "engaging" with the committee, officials said. The committee had no update on the status of Scavino.
"While Mr. Meadows and Mr. Patel are, so far, engaging with the Select Committee, Mr. Bannon has indicated that he will try to hide behind vague references to privileges of the former President," Thompson and Cheney said in a joint statement. "The Select Committee fully expects all of these witnesses to comply with our demands for both documents and deposition testimony."
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/jan-committee-swiftly-criminal-contempt-steve-bannon-ignore/story?id=80486293
No you’re not, Mr. Bannon! In fact we’re onto you. Now here’s where it gets weird because you knew it was going to. Remember a while back when we discussed a church that was obsessed with firearms that had purchased a large plot of land outside Pennsylvania (see: Top 10 Best Of #17 ). We now know what they are doing with it. Is it a compound or a cult? Or is it a military training center for a MAGA coup in 2024? And why does it involve Steve Bannon? See? We can make up our own conspiracies too!
Global takeover conspiracy theories. Christian pastors and local sheriffs still pissed that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. And the head of a group that even the reserved Facebook censors labeled a “violent social militia.”
Few Americans are even aware that the gun company Kahr and a rural Pennsylvania doomsday church—both run by the same ultra-rich Korean family—hold an annual “Freedom Festival” that attracts gun enthusiasts and the type of people who attach “Don’t Tread on Me” flags to the back of their trucks. But in the wake of the failed Jan. 6 insurrection, the event’s amalgamation of sovereign citizens and alt-truthers has taken on a new meaning. And now, it’s even got an all-star lineup.
This year’s top speakers include Steve Bannon, once the chief strategist for President Trump, Dana Loesch, the former aggressively vocal National Rifle Association spokeswoman who made millions while achieving celebrity status in the gun industry, and a smattering of alt-right figures known for championing Trump and the Second Amendment.
Ryan Busse, a former gun industry executive turned self-described whistleblower, told The Daily Beast that the presence of such high-profile speakers lends a dangerous credibility to the armed American fringe that is increasingly angry, vocal, and demanding of government policies that cater to their politics.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/doomsday-church-and-gun-company-kahr-team-up-for-ultra-right-festival-steve-bannon-dana-loesch-freedom-fest
Few Americans are even aware that the gun company Kahr and a rural Pennsylvania doomsday church—both run by the same ultra-rich Korean family—hold an annual “Freedom Festival” that attracts gun enthusiasts and the type of people who attach “Don’t Tread on Me” flags to the back of their trucks. But in the wake of the failed Jan. 6 insurrection, the event’s amalgamation of sovereign citizens and alt-truthers has taken on a new meaning. And now, it’s even got an all-star lineup.
This year’s top speakers include Steve Bannon, once the chief strategist for President Trump, Dana Loesch, the former aggressively vocal National Rifle Association spokeswoman who made millions while achieving celebrity status in the gun industry, and a smattering of alt-right figures known for championing Trump and the Second Amendment.
Ryan Busse, a former gun industry executive turned self-described whistleblower, told The Daily Beast that the presence of such high-profile speakers lends a dangerous credibility to the armed American fringe that is increasingly angry, vocal, and demanding of government policies that cater to their politics.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/doomsday-church-and-gun-company-kahr-team-up-for-ultra-right-festival-steve-bannon-dana-loesch-freedom-fest
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[font size="8"]Anti-Vaxxers
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Anti-vaxxers… when are you going to learn two things? The first is that you’re probably loaded with vaccines. Hell, my parents have pages of vaccine records from when I was a kid. The second is… vaccines are the reason why you’re still alive! And if you don’t believe that the virus is real and is a real threat… I would like to direct you to my favorite subreddit called “r/HermanCainAwards”. Named after the late Herman Cain (see: Idiots #9-9 ), this subreddit explores people who are vehemently and publicly anti-vaccine, get COVID, get admitted to the hospital, get put on a ventilator and die. While seeking “prayer warriors” and that ultimately leads to their demise. Morbid, I know. But not as insane as the latest nonsense coming from anti-vaxxers about the Southwest Airlines fiasco. Which they are seeing as some kind of anti-vaccine moral crusader victory for their cause. Um… it’s not.
Conservative figures and politicians opposing vaccine and mask mandates have blamed more than 2,000 recent flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines on vaccine mandates, but both the airline and pilots union have said the massive number of flight disruptions had nothing to do with it.
That didn't stop some politicians, like former president Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rep. Andy Biggs from Arizona, from trying to link the cancellations to federal vaccine mandates even though they offered no evidence of it.
"The weekend challenges were not a result of Southwest Employee demonstrations, as some are reporting," a spokesperson with the airline told BuzzFeed News.
False rumors online suggested the cancellations may have been linked to pilots walking off the job or calling in sick to protest mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19, which the company is requiring all employees to get by Dec. 8. The company requirement comes after President Joe Biden in September issued a mandate for COVID vaccines for federal employees, federal contractors, and companies with more than 100 employees.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/southwest-airlines-flights-canceled
That didn't stop some politicians, like former president Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rep. Andy Biggs from Arizona, from trying to link the cancellations to federal vaccine mandates even though they offered no evidence of it.
"The weekend challenges were not a result of Southwest Employee demonstrations, as some are reporting," a spokesperson with the airline told BuzzFeed News.
False rumors online suggested the cancellations may have been linked to pilots walking off the job or calling in sick to protest mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19, which the company is requiring all employees to get by Dec. 8. The company requirement comes after President Joe Biden in September issued a mandate for COVID vaccines for federal employees, federal contractors, and companies with more than 100 employees.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/southwest-airlines-flights-canceled
Now here’s the thing – you know we give American anti-vaxxers a hard time largely because we’re an American based show. And they absolutely deserve every bit of shit that they get. Because it’s thanks to this nonsense that they’re going to the hospital and dying in droves. But that said, America’s anti-vaxxers ain’t got nothing on Italy’s anti-vaxxers, who are turning way more violent and crazy than ours could ever even dream of! We go across the sea to Italy for this story!
Central Rome was gripped with violence this weekend as thousands of protesters marched against the toughest new vaccine mandates in the world. All Italians will soon be required to show a coronavirus "Green Pass," proving either vaccination, recovery in the past six months, or a negative COVID-19 test from the past 48 hours to enter their workplaces.
What started off as a restless but peaceful demonstration against the looming measure in Rome's Piazza del Popolo ended up sparking a tinderbox when an offshoot of protesters stormed the headquarters of CGIL, Italy's oldest and biggest labor union.
In a bizarre twist, the unrest created a security incident for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was in Rome for a meeting with foreign leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Pope Francis. She was attending Mass at St. Patrick's Church and scheduled to give a reading when the chaos outside moved Italian government officials to remove the speaker and her husband from the premises.
Loud chants of "liberta'" (freedom) echoed throughout the Eternal City. Freedom, the protesters demanded, from the national vaccine mandate scheduled to go into effect on October 15.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-mandate-italy-violent-protests/
What started off as a restless but peaceful demonstration against the looming measure in Rome's Piazza del Popolo ended up sparking a tinderbox when an offshoot of protesters stormed the headquarters of CGIL, Italy's oldest and biggest labor union.
In a bizarre twist, the unrest created a security incident for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was in Rome for a meeting with foreign leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Pope Francis. She was attending Mass at St. Patrick's Church and scheduled to give a reading when the chaos outside moved Italian government officials to remove the speaker and her husband from the premises.
Loud chants of "liberta'" (freedom) echoed throughout the Eternal City. Freedom, the protesters demanded, from the national vaccine mandate scheduled to go into effect on October 15.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-mandate-italy-violent-protests/
Yeah the shit is really hitting the fan in Italy. But back here you might have seen reports of anti-vaxxers taking their fight about vaccine and mask mandates to school boards. You personally could not pay me enough to sit at a school board meeting. But these people are crashing these meetings and treating school board members like shit. I can’t imagine these people are proud of what they are doing, though they probably think they are.
Parents packed an Oakdale school board meeting on Monday to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students, urging trustees to fight it.
Under the governor’s Oct. 1 announcement, students at all California public and private K-12 schools will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend in-person classes, following full authorization of the shots for their age groups from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This could apply to grades seven through 12 in July 2022, according to Newsom’s office.
“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then,” Superintendent Dave Kline told The Modesto Bee.
Parents on Monday asked the trustees of Oakdale Joint Unified School District to not enforce the vaccine mandate, pleading for the ability to make medical choices for their children. They carried signs with slogans including “My Child, My Choice, No Vaccine” and wore shirts bearing “We do not co-parent with the government” and other messages.
At one point, someone standing near the podium collapsed. After a brief pause to check if the person was OK, public comment continued.
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/oakdale/article254952482.html
Under the governor’s Oct. 1 announcement, students at all California public and private K-12 schools will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend in-person classes, following full authorization of the shots for their age groups from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This could apply to grades seven through 12 in July 2022, according to Newsom’s office.
“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then,” Superintendent Dave Kline told The Modesto Bee.
Parents on Monday asked the trustees of Oakdale Joint Unified School District to not enforce the vaccine mandate, pleading for the ability to make medical choices for their children. They carried signs with slogans including “My Child, My Choice, No Vaccine” and wore shirts bearing “We do not co-parent with the government” and other messages.
At one point, someone standing near the podium collapsed. After a brief pause to check if the person was OK, public comment continued.
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/oakdale/article254952482.html
Sigh……….. you know here’s the thing – if you collapse while you’re at the podium screaming about vaccine mandates, you’re not exactly proving your point. But that said the conservatives have lost their damn minds when it comes to this issue. We cannot stress this enough: STOP LISTENING TO IDIOTS ON FUCKING FACEBOOK!!!! Get the vaccine! Ok now that I got that off my chest here’s what conservatives think of the Southwest going behind their backs. Comply or die! I’d rather comply.
Reports of Southwest cancelling nearly 2,000 flights on Saturday and Sunday—disruptions the airline blamed on bad weather and air traffic control issues—immediately sparked speculation from Republicans about the role of the company’s new vaccine mandate, which had already drawn some internal opposition.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) took to Twitter on Sunday night to declare the cancellations the result of “Joe Biden’s illegal vaccine mandate at work,” referencing the federal government’s requirement that major airlines get workers vaccinated or risk losing lucrative contracts.
Fellow Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy went a step further, proclaiming himself “100% behind” employees at the Dallas-based company, which he called on his colleagues in the House and Senate to boycott for future aid.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) similarly took up the cause of Southwest employees, with Biggs saying he stands with what he described as a fight for “freedom.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/10/11/shut-them-down-republicans-attack-southwest-airlines-side-with-employees-amid-rumored-vaccine-mandate-protest/?sh=b7ae8f565c39
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) took to Twitter on Sunday night to declare the cancellations the result of “Joe Biden’s illegal vaccine mandate at work,” referencing the federal government’s requirement that major airlines get workers vaccinated or risk losing lucrative contracts.
Fellow Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy went a step further, proclaiming himself “100% behind” employees at the Dallas-based company, which he called on his colleagues in the House and Senate to boycott for future aid.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) similarly took up the cause of Southwest employees, with Biggs saying he stands with what he described as a fight for “freedom.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/10/11/shut-them-down-republicans-attack-southwest-airlines-side-with-employees-amid-rumored-vaccine-mandate-protest/?sh=b7ae8f565c39
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[font size="8"]Elon Musk
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You know let’s face it – at this point, Elon Musk is an underwater fortress and a furry cat away from becoming a real life Ernst Starvo Blofeld. So is the Tesla move from California to Texas a good thing or a bad thing? Well it’s mostly bad. And as a Californian I’m quite frankly insulted. Sure, the Tesla factory, which was formerly owned by Toyota, will probably get picked up by a new manufacturer of electric vehicles, of which there’s plenty to choose from. And that’s one thing that I am glad about is that more and more people and governments are embracing the future of electric vehicles and electric transportation. Which is why the Tesla move to Texas is a really horrible one. Because it’s mostly about taxes. So why the move now? Well it’s going to have a huge effect on not only California but the city that it’s moving to – Austin, Texas.
Upon moving from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, critics and fans of Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk have mixed opinions about the move. Tesla enthusiasts might have seen it coming all along, especially after California politicians spewed profanities in the direction of the CEO, whose company has already provided an influx of employment opportunities to its new Texas market. However, without darkness, there would not be light, and there are plenty of people who are widely skeptical of Tesla’s recent decision to move its Headquarters to Austin from Fremont. However, the reasons for the move are being labeled as a betrayal of California and its workers, even though Tesla has no intentions to move any of its facilities out of the Golden State. Additionally, a commonly spread myth about all billionaires attempting to avoid paying taxes is also being thrown into the mix, further adding fuel to a fire that doesn’t really need to exist.
A recent article from the San Antonio Express-News indicates that Musk and Tesla have betrayed its California workers who have built the electric automaker from a longshot success story to the most highly-valued car company on Earth. Despite the reasoning from the article’s author, which misses the point of Tesla’s move, the narrative that Elon Musk is some sort of evil super villain sitting in a large chair with excessive lumbar support sitting in a billionaire’s palace scheming new reasons to get ahead while squishing the “average Joe” seems to appear out of nowhere. Even though Musk’s entire vision was to help avert a climate crisis and revolutionize the automotive industry, some people still seem to be convinced he is a man with horrible intentions. Still, the South African-born CEO was essentially driven out of California by its own people of authority. They asked, he granted, and now Musk is still being painted as the bad guy.
The assumption that Musk is forcing Tesla and its several manufacturing plants, logistics facilities, design studios out of California and shoving them to the Lone Star State is a common misconception amongst those who genuinely believe his mission is to make money and avoid paying his fair share of taxes. The thing is: If Musk was someone with this sort of agenda, would he have sold many of his residences? Would he be living part-time in a $50,000 home in Starbase, Texas to help with SpaceX projects? Would he be making portions of the company’s Fremont facility in Northern California permanent? Probably not.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-texas-betrayal-california-elon-musk-taxes/
A recent article from the San Antonio Express-News indicates that Musk and Tesla have betrayed its California workers who have built the electric automaker from a longshot success story to the most highly-valued car company on Earth. Despite the reasoning from the article’s author, which misses the point of Tesla’s move, the narrative that Elon Musk is some sort of evil super villain sitting in a large chair with excessive lumbar support sitting in a billionaire’s palace scheming new reasons to get ahead while squishing the “average Joe” seems to appear out of nowhere. Even though Musk’s entire vision was to help avert a climate crisis and revolutionize the automotive industry, some people still seem to be convinced he is a man with horrible intentions. Still, the South African-born CEO was essentially driven out of California by its own people of authority. They asked, he granted, and now Musk is still being painted as the bad guy.
The assumption that Musk is forcing Tesla and its several manufacturing plants, logistics facilities, design studios out of California and shoving them to the Lone Star State is a common misconception amongst those who genuinely believe his mission is to make money and avoid paying his fair share of taxes. The thing is: If Musk was someone with this sort of agenda, would he have sold many of his residences? Would he be living part-time in a $50,000 home in Starbase, Texas to help with SpaceX projects? Would he be making portions of the company’s Fremont facility in Northern California permanent? Probably not.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-texas-betrayal-california-elon-musk-taxes/
You know that’s kind of how it feels – like a giant rejection letter. So what are Elon’s plans for Texas and what’s happening there? Well naturally the citizens feel that the influx of people who will be moving to Austin to get a job at the new Tesla plant will be raising the rent prices. Which in Austin currently are super cheap. So let’s ask actual Austin residents how they feel about Tesla moving in – and it’s not exactly what one would call “good”.
Austin prides itself on "keeping it weird," but the city's success at luring more big companies such as Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) has some residents wary of getting priced out of their unique culture.
Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, said on Thursday the electric car maker will move its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas. read more
Housing prices in the Austin metro area have skyrocketed in recent years, with large tech firms including Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google and Oracle Corp (ORCL.N) building new campuses in and around the city.
"I'm really happy for all the jobs this will create, but my family is already unable to buy a house right now, and it will only get worse with Tesla," Trish Webb, 47, a resident of South Austin, said on Friday while on her lunch break from her job as a hospital administrative assistant.
Median prices for Austin houses have risen some 40% over the last two years, with the median price for a house around $549,000 in September, according to real estate brokerage Redfin.
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/austin-cheers-teslas-headquarters-move-local-home-buyers-left-edge-2021-10-11/
Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, said on Thursday the electric car maker will move its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas. read more
Housing prices in the Austin metro area have skyrocketed in recent years, with large tech firms including Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google and Oracle Corp (ORCL.N) building new campuses in and around the city.
"I'm really happy for all the jobs this will create, but my family is already unable to buy a house right now, and it will only get worse with Tesla," Trish Webb, 47, a resident of South Austin, said on Friday while on her lunch break from her job as a hospital administrative assistant.
Median prices for Austin houses have risen some 40% over the last two years, with the median price for a house around $549,000 in September, according to real estate brokerage Redfin.
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/austin-cheers-teslas-headquarters-move-local-home-buyers-left-edge-2021-10-11/
Yeah no seriously I do feel like Elon is a new Blofeld. In fact coming soon – the new Tesla Underwater Fortress! All that’s needed is a suave super spy and a submarine car that can destroy it! Yeah I have been watching a lot of Bond movies, can’t you tell? But just like Blofeld, Elon is a man of many questions and very few answers. Yes the move from California to Texas seems oddly suspicious, but why is it that he can get away with stuff like this?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk dropped a news bomb Thursday, announcing that the electric automaker will move its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, Calif., to Austin. While the move was heralded by industry experts and local officials as a huge economic win for Central Texas, Musk — a mercurial and enigmatic billionaire who is one of the world's wealthiest people — left a number of questions unanswered.
Here's a look at what we do and don't know about Tesla's move to Austin:
When will Tesla formally move to Austin, and will its HQ offices be on property the company already owns in Travis County?
Musk didn't address either of these questions during Thursday's shareholder meeting, so those answers will have to come later. Building or leasing a corporate headquarters can take time, not to mention movting hundreds or thousands of employees, so it won't happen overnight. As for the new corporate headquarters location, Musk didn't spell it out, but he hinted that it could be on the 2,100-acre site at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road where the company is building its $1.1 billion manufacturing facility, saying that Tesla is "going to create an ecological paradise here around the Colorado River."
When will Tesla formally move to Austin, and will its HQ offices be on property the company already owns in Travis County?
Musk didn't address either of these questions during Thursday's shareholder meeting, so those answers will have to come later. Building or leasing a corporate headquarters can take time, not to mention movting hundreds or thousands of employees, so it won't happen overnight. As for the new corporate headquarters location, Musk didn't spell it out, but he hinted that it could be on the 2,100-acre site at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road where the company is building its $1.1 billion manufacturing facility, saying that Tesla is "going to create an ecological paradise here around the Colorado River."
https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2021/10/08/tesla-headquarters-move-austin-questions-elon-musk-home-employees-relocating-new-jobs/6049335001/
Here's a look at what we do and don't know about Tesla's move to Austin:
When will Tesla formally move to Austin, and will its HQ offices be on property the company already owns in Travis County?
Musk didn't address either of these questions during Thursday's shareholder meeting, so those answers will have to come later. Building or leasing a corporate headquarters can take time, not to mention movting hundreds or thousands of employees, so it won't happen overnight. As for the new corporate headquarters location, Musk didn't spell it out, but he hinted that it could be on the 2,100-acre site at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road where the company is building its $1.1 billion manufacturing facility, saying that Tesla is "going to create an ecological paradise here around the Colorado River."
When will Tesla formally move to Austin, and will its HQ offices be on property the company already owns in Travis County?
Musk didn't address either of these questions during Thursday's shareholder meeting, so those answers will have to come later. Building or leasing a corporate headquarters can take time, not to mention movting hundreds or thousands of employees, so it won't happen overnight. As for the new corporate headquarters location, Musk didn't spell it out, but he hinted that it could be on the 2,100-acre site at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road where the company is building its $1.1 billion manufacturing facility, saying that Tesla is "going to create an ecological paradise here around the Colorado River."
https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2021/10/08/tesla-headquarters-move-austin-questions-elon-musk-home-employees-relocating-new-jobs/6049335001/
Well there is some good news. I don’t want you to think that this is all doom and gloom. But Elon hasn’t totally closed the Tesla plants and offices in California. But don’t think he’s gone full Larry David and opened up his own spite factory in Texas. Yeah it might appear that way but at least Elon is still committed to California even though they’re moving full on into Austin. And we’ll definitely keep an eye on this story and all the things Tesla and Space X are up to.
Musk's announcement of Tesla's headquarters move to Austin from Palo Alto isn't all that it seemed on first blush.
From the outside, the announcement tended to be viewed in the context of Musk's repeated grousing about California business regulation — especially attempts by local officials in Alameda County to force Tesla's Fremont auto plant to comply with anti-pandemic measures last year.
That wasn't the case from the inside. The lone rationale Musk gave during Tesla's annual meeting Thursday was different. There, he cited the high cost of housing and the long commutes burdening Tesla employees. In any event, the headquarters relocation wasn't entirely news: Musk first announced his intention to move Tesla's headquarters out of California in May 2020, in the teeth of his fight with Alameda County.
At that time he also threatened to shut down the Fremont plant, "dependen[t] on how Tesla is treated in the future."
In the fullness of time, the threat to Fremont turned out to be a bluff. At the annual meeting Thursday, he stated that Tesla's "intention is to actually increase output from Fremont," along with that of the company's battery plant in Nevada, by 50%.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/column-elon-musks-moving-teslas-185804889.html
From the outside, the announcement tended to be viewed in the context of Musk's repeated grousing about California business regulation — especially attempts by local officials in Alameda County to force Tesla's Fremont auto plant to comply with anti-pandemic measures last year.
That wasn't the case from the inside. The lone rationale Musk gave during Tesla's annual meeting Thursday was different. There, he cited the high cost of housing and the long commutes burdening Tesla employees. In any event, the headquarters relocation wasn't entirely news: Musk first announced his intention to move Tesla's headquarters out of California in May 2020, in the teeth of his fight with Alameda County.
At that time he also threatened to shut down the Fremont plant, "dependen[t] on how Tesla is treated in the future."
In the fullness of time, the threat to Fremont turned out to be a bluff. At the annual meeting Thursday, he stated that Tesla's "intention is to actually increase output from Fremont," along with that of the company's battery plant in Nevada, by 50%.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/column-elon-musks-moving-teslas-185804889.html
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[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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First off I’d like to say that if you missed Holy Shit: The Sunday Sermons Episode 1, you can find it here:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215940098
Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the pew and pass the collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:
My fair congregation! We of course love to check in from time to time what our brothers and sisters on the right are up to. And last weekend was no exception. For it was one of their annual festivals. Last week was one such gathering called the “Pray Vote Stand Festival” which was formerly known as the Values Voters Summit. And we went to Pray Vote Stand Festival to bring you some of the juiciest highlights, because that’s what we get to do now that we have our very own spinoff show! So what did we find at the Pray Vote Stand Festival? Well it’s basically the same crap with a new hat. And in fact it really shows just how far right wing religion can and has been circling the drain. Because what these people want is certainly *NOT* what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would have had in mind now is it? Well now let’s start with what’s behind door number one shall we?
Former Rep. Michele Bachmann was among those who spoke during the first session of the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand” conference Wednesday night. Following her remarks, Bachmann was interviewed backstage on Facebook Live by FRC’s Marjorie Jackson, who asked Bachmann what sort of battles she foresees for the nation in the years ahead.
Bachmann, who is currently dean of the school of government at Pat Robertson’s Regent University, responded by declaring that the United States’ government has been overthrown in a fascist coup, claiming that we are now living in the “absolute worst times” in this nation’s history.
“It’s tough to get much more draconian than we are right now,” Bachmann said. “Quite literally, the government has turned to fascism. That’s what we’re in. I believe we’re in a coup right now—which is an illegal hostile takeover of government—and I believe that that’s what we’re in the middle of.”
“When you have government forcing private businesses to fire people because the people aren’t complying with what government says, then you’re denying people the right to earn a living,” she continued. “In the book of Ecclesiastes, it says when you deny someone the right to their living, it’s the same as murder, and so our government is engaging in probably some of the most horrific actions we have ever seen. If you take all the bad actions of government throughout the entire history of the United States and you put them all together, they pale in comparison to what we’re seeing now. This is a very unique time, so people shouldn’t think they’re crazy when they’re looking at current events and wondering what’s going on. This really is the absolute worst times.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/michele-bachmann-says-we-are-living-in-the-absolute-worst-times-in-american-history/
Bachmann, who is currently dean of the school of government at Pat Robertson’s Regent University, responded by declaring that the United States’ government has been overthrown in a fascist coup, claiming that we are now living in the “absolute worst times” in this nation’s history.
“It’s tough to get much more draconian than we are right now,” Bachmann said. “Quite literally, the government has turned to fascism. That’s what we’re in. I believe we’re in a coup right now—which is an illegal hostile takeover of government—and I believe that that’s what we’re in the middle of.”
“When you have government forcing private businesses to fire people because the people aren’t complying with what government says, then you’re denying people the right to earn a living,” she continued. “In the book of Ecclesiastes, it says when you deny someone the right to their living, it’s the same as murder, and so our government is engaging in probably some of the most horrific actions we have ever seen. If you take all the bad actions of government throughout the entire history of the United States and you put them all together, they pale in comparison to what we’re seeing now. This is a very unique time, so people shouldn’t think they’re crazy when they’re looking at current events and wondering what’s going on. This really is the absolute worst times.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/michele-bachmann-says-we-are-living-in-the-absolute-worst-times-in-american-history/
I’m not sure you have that interpreted correctly there. So what is so bad about having to get a shot in the arm so you don’t die of a deadly virus? Just the sheer insanity of these lunatics knows no boundaries, and neither does their hatred of the government. But really if it’s that hard to get a simple little vaccine then I don’t really have a lot of sympathy for your complaints! Now let’s see what’s behind door number 2, shall we?
Organizers of the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand” conference for religious-right activists invited Kenneth Blackwell, who actively promoted former President Donald Trump’s false stolen-election claims after the 2020 election, to discuss “election reform.” Blackwell praised states that have passed restrictive voting laws this year while condemning federal voting rights legislation pending in Congress.
FRC Action Vice President Brent Keilen interviewed Blackwell on stage, framing the topic of conversation as “election integrity,” the right-wing buzzword favored by so-called Stop the Steal activists and Republican legislators who use false claims of voter fraud to justify passing more restrictive voting laws. Blackwell urged activists to demand that every state impose photo ID requirements for voters, and he called for dramatic restrictions on early voting.
After the 2020 election, Blackwell aggressively promoted Trump’s false claims that he won the election. Blackwell signed a Dec. 10 open letter from right-wing leaders that declared, “There is no doubt President Donald J. Trump is the lawful winner of the presidential election. Joe Biden is not president elect.” The letter called on legislatures in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Michigan to override the election results and appoint pro-Trump electors.
Blackwell signed another open letter at the end of December, urging Senate Republicans to contest the electoral votes from five battleground states won by Biden. FRC President Tony Perkins also signed both letters.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/stop-the-steal-activist-ken-blackwell-backs-state-voter-suppression-slams-federal-voting-rights-legislation-at-religious-right-activist-conference/
FRC Action Vice President Brent Keilen interviewed Blackwell on stage, framing the topic of conversation as “election integrity,” the right-wing buzzword favored by so-called Stop the Steal activists and Republican legislators who use false claims of voter fraud to justify passing more restrictive voting laws. Blackwell urged activists to demand that every state impose photo ID requirements for voters, and he called for dramatic restrictions on early voting.
After the 2020 election, Blackwell aggressively promoted Trump’s false claims that he won the election. Blackwell signed a Dec. 10 open letter from right-wing leaders that declared, “There is no doubt President Donald J. Trump is the lawful winner of the presidential election. Joe Biden is not president elect.” The letter called on legislatures in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Michigan to override the election results and appoint pro-Trump electors.
Blackwell signed another open letter at the end of December, urging Senate Republicans to contest the electoral votes from five battleground states won by Biden. FRC President Tony Perkins also signed both letters.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/stop-the-steal-activist-ken-blackwell-backs-state-voter-suppression-slams-federal-voting-rights-legislation-at-religious-right-activist-conference/
Of course they are, Reverend! That’s what this entire festival is for! But imagine what it takes to not only stand up at a podium and say something this batshit insane, but to also believe it! I mean I really wonder how these people sleep at night, like if they think what they are doing really suits the LAWRD JAYSUS? I mean they support a man so foul that his name dare not be spoken in my church! But next up – did you know that Marxism is apparently the mark of the beast? Well neither did we!
E.W. Jackson, a right-wing pastor who was the Republican Party’s nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor in 2013, told religious-right activists at the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand” conference Thursday that Marxism, socialism, “transgenderism,” homosexuality, and abortion are works of the devil, and that “God wants to intervene in the rotten here and now and bring us out of this mess that we are in.”
Jackson, whose radio show is broadcast on the American Family Association’s radio network, told attendees that “the problem that we have in America is ultimately not political and ultimately not cultural. It is spiritual.”
The United States, he said, is a “providential” nation and “a gift from Almighty God”:
Patriotism comes from the word “pater,” meaning love of or honor of the father. And it’s not just about our Founding Fathers; it’s about the Father God who gave us this nation. And if you really believe that this nation is the gift that God gave to you, to your children, and to your grandchildren, then you ought to be willing to say, “I’m not going to let some bunch of Marxists and socialists and communists take this nation away and rob my posterity of the great gift that God has given us.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/e-w-jackson-tells-religious-right-activists-they-will-defeat-marxism-homosexuality-and-other-works-of-the-devil/
Jackson, whose radio show is broadcast on the American Family Association’s radio network, told attendees that “the problem that we have in America is ultimately not political and ultimately not cultural. It is spiritual.”
The United States, he said, is a “providential” nation and “a gift from Almighty God”:
Patriotism comes from the word “pater,” meaning love of or honor of the father. And it’s not just about our Founding Fathers; it’s about the Father God who gave us this nation. And if you really believe that this nation is the gift that God gave to you, to your children, and to your grandchildren, then you ought to be willing to say, “I’m not going to let some bunch of Marxists and socialists and communists take this nation away and rob my posterity of the great gift that God has given us.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/e-w-jackson-tells-religious-right-activists-they-will-defeat-marxism-homosexuality-and-other-works-of-the-devil/
That is a good question because I don’t know either! And what makes these people think they are fighting for good when really what they stand for is everything that the good LAWRD JAYSUS doesn’t stand for? Jesus stood to love your fellow man, not think that everything contains the mark of the beast, now does he? And the only thing on earth that I can think of that accurately contains the mark of the beast is the Iron Maiden album The Number Of The Beast. But that’s about it! Last but not least we have George Barna who says that Christians must indoctrinate other people’s children into a Biblical world view, because that sort of thing always works out well doesn’t it?
While right-wing groups are mobilizing angry mobs to yell at school board members that parents have the right to control what their children are taught, evangelical pollster George Barna told religious-right activists at the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand” summit Thursday that it is their duty to try to indoctrinate other people’s children into a “biblical worldview.”
Barna, one of the first senior fellows at FRC’s recently established Center for Biblical Worldview, specializes in studying what he calls “SAGE Cons”—Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians. What is most striking about FRC and Barna’s “worldview” project is how few people—and how few conservative evangelicals—measure up to their right-wing “biblical worldview” standard.
When the Center for Biblical Worldview launched in May, FRC President Tony Perkins said that a biblical worldview “is only achieved when a person believes that the Bible is true, authoritative, and then taught how it is applicable to every area of life, which enables them to live out those beliefs.”
Barna told “Pray Vote Stand” attendees that only 6 percent of American adults measure up to that standard of a biblical worldview—and only one out of five people who attend an evangelical church.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-christians-must-indoctrinate-other-peoples-children-into-a-biblical-worldview-says-frcs-george-barna/
Barna, one of the first senior fellows at FRC’s recently established Center for Biblical Worldview, specializes in studying what he calls “SAGE Cons”—Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians. What is most striking about FRC and Barna’s “worldview” project is how few people—and how few conservative evangelicals—measure up to their right-wing “biblical worldview” standard.
When the Center for Biblical Worldview launched in May, FRC President Tony Perkins said that a biblical worldview “is only achieved when a person believes that the Bible is true, authoritative, and then taught how it is applicable to every area of life, which enables them to live out those beliefs.”
Barna told “Pray Vote Stand” attendees that only 6 percent of American adults measure up to that standard of a biblical worldview—and only one out of five people who attend an evangelical church.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-christians-must-indoctrinate-other-peoples-children-into-a-biblical-worldview-says-frcs-george-barna/
Well Pastor Barna, do you want terrorists? Because that’s how you get terrorists. Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:
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[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy: Eric Clapton
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This week’s This Fucking Guy is one of the best guitar players on the planet and a guy who was almost considered to be the fifth member of the Beatles – Eric Clapton. So why is he on this list? Well Mr. Clapton is not exactly what one would call a “nice guy”. In fact he’s got a history of making racist statements and is a rabid anti-vaxxer extremist conspiracy theorist. So apparently the reason why Mr. Clapton is so vehemently against vaccines is because he apparently had a bad reaction to his first one and that was enough to flip him to the side of batshit crazy. But has he always been this way? Well easy answer is yes and yes. So who’s fault is it? Well Mr. Clapton blames it primarily on “the propaganda” but hey wait a minute! That’s our job! But not only is he doubling down on his anti-vaccine nonsense, he’s apparently bankrolling it.
Cambel McLaughlin thought he was being punked. An unapologetic opponent of lockdowns and Covid-19 vaccine skeptic — he is, as he puts it, “pro-medical choice”— the 27-year-old Brit is founder of Jam for Freedom, a group of U.K. musicians that plays for free in public spaces, spreading the anti-lockdown word and sometimes singing songs with lyrics like “You can stick your poison vaccine up your arse.” For their efforts, Jam for Freedom are often hassled by police, and McLaughlin himself says he was arrested for what he calls “breach of Covid regulations” during one show.
This past spring, the car the group used to transport its gear was rendered nearly unusable after an accident, so McLaughlin started a GoFundMe page to help pay for transportation, gas, and legal fees. And one day this past spring, he was shocked to see a £1,000 donation on the site from Eric Clapton.
“I’m, like, this could be fake,” McLaughlin recalls. But when McLaughlin emailed the account listed with the donation, he received a text from the 76-year-old British guitar hero himself. “It was something complimentary, along the lines of, ‘Hey, it’s Eric — great work you’re doing,’ ” McLaughlin says. The two later talked by phone, and before McLaughlin knew it, Clapton offered his family’s white, six-person VW Transporter van as a temporary replacement for Jam for Freedom’s wheels. He also gave them a chunk of money (McLaughlin declines to say how much) to buy a new van — and said he might even sit in with the group at some point. Thanks to Clapton’s assistance, Jam for Freedom are now free to spread their message all over the U.K.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/eric-clapton-vaccine-lockdown-racist-comments-1239027/
This past spring, the car the group used to transport its gear was rendered nearly unusable after an accident, so McLaughlin started a GoFundMe page to help pay for transportation, gas, and legal fees. And one day this past spring, he was shocked to see a £1,000 donation on the site from Eric Clapton.
“I’m, like, this could be fake,” McLaughlin recalls. But when McLaughlin emailed the account listed with the donation, he received a text from the 76-year-old British guitar hero himself. “It was something complimentary, along the lines of, ‘Hey, it’s Eric — great work you’re doing,’ ” McLaughlin says. The two later talked by phone, and before McLaughlin knew it, Clapton offered his family’s white, six-person VW Transporter van as a temporary replacement for Jam for Freedom’s wheels. He also gave them a chunk of money (McLaughlin declines to say how much) to buy a new van — and said he might even sit in with the group at some point. Thanks to Clapton’s assistance, Jam for Freedom are now free to spread their message all over the U.K.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/eric-clapton-vaccine-lockdown-racist-comments-1239027/
That’s right – Eric Clapton actually gave money to an anti-vaccine group. And actually said that they were doing “great work”. And by the way he might just be Mr. Flip Flopper extreme because he previously said that he wouldn’t play at any venue that required a vaccine mandate. Which is needless to say all of them! In fact he even played a show in Texas attended by famously noted anti-vaxxer governor Greg Abbott.
Gov. Greg Abbott attended Eric Clapton’s Tuesday concert in Austin, going backstage and meeting mask-less with the guitarist weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Republican leader, who is fully vaccinated, posted a photo with the English guitarist and Austin rocker Jimmie Vaughan following a concert at the Frank Erwin Center on Wednesday night.
More than a few Twitter users were turned off by the governor's photo opp with Clapton, a vocal vaccine skeptic with a track record of unsavory public remarks on race and society.
Clapton has been less than quiet about his anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown views, vowing in July to not perform at any venues requiring proof of vaccination, according to Ethan Shanfeld of Variety. The "Layla" artist was in luck Wednesday, as the Frank Erwin Center, owned and operated by the University of Texas, is prohibited from requiring masks or proof of vaccination thanks to Abbott's recent anti-mask mandates.
Abbott announced in August that he had tested positive for COVID-19. In a video uploaded to Twitter just four days after the announcement, the governor said he tested negative for the virus, crediting the “brief and mild” case to his vaccination.
https://www.lmtonline.com/politics/article/Houston-greg-abbott-concert-eric-clapton-masks-16464129.php
The Republican leader, who is fully vaccinated, posted a photo with the English guitarist and Austin rocker Jimmie Vaughan following a concert at the Frank Erwin Center on Wednesday night.
More than a few Twitter users were turned off by the governor's photo opp with Clapton, a vocal vaccine skeptic with a track record of unsavory public remarks on race and society.
Clapton has been less than quiet about his anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown views, vowing in July to not perform at any venues requiring proof of vaccination, according to Ethan Shanfeld of Variety. The "Layla" artist was in luck Wednesday, as the Frank Erwin Center, owned and operated by the University of Texas, is prohibited from requiring masks or proof of vaccination thanks to Abbott's recent anti-mask mandates.
Abbott announced in August that he had tested positive for COVID-19. In a video uploaded to Twitter just four days after the announcement, the governor said he tested negative for the virus, crediting the “brief and mild” case to his vaccination.
https://www.lmtonline.com/politics/article/Houston-greg-abbott-concert-eric-clapton-masks-16464129.php
Yes… me fans are stupid pigs! So why is Eric Clapton hanging out with anti-vaxxers and batshit insane politicians? I mean how could you possibly be in the same room as Greg Abbott and not want to punch him in the face? It’s an impossibility I tell you! And yeah would you really want to be around Gov. Abbott after he tested positive? I know I wouldn’t! So why is Mr. Clapton funding a band full of anti-vaxxers spreading misinformation? Well this goes back to May when he first got his AstraZeneca jab.
Eric Clapton detailed his “disastrous” health experience after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine and blamed “the propaganda” for overstating the safety of the vaccine in a letter the guitarist shared with an architect/anti-lockdown activist.
Clapton previously shared his thoughts on the Covid-19 shutdown when he appeared on Van Morrison’s anti-lockdown song “Stand and Deliver” in December 2020; two months later, in February, Clapton received his first of two AstraZeneca vaccinations, he wrote in his letter to Robin Monotti, who shared the letter on his Telegram with the guitarist’s permission. (Rolling Stone has confirmed the authenticity of the letter. A rep for Clapton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
“I took the first jab of AZ and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days. I recovered eventually and was told it would be twelve weeks before the second one…,” Clapton wrote.
“About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers. Needless to say the reactions were disastrous, my hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again, (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.) But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eric-clapton-disastrous-vaccine-propaganda-1170264/
Clapton previously shared his thoughts on the Covid-19 shutdown when he appeared on Van Morrison’s anti-lockdown song “Stand and Deliver” in December 2020; two months later, in February, Clapton received his first of two AstraZeneca vaccinations, he wrote in his letter to Robin Monotti, who shared the letter on his Telegram with the guitarist’s permission. (Rolling Stone has confirmed the authenticity of the letter. A rep for Clapton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
“I took the first jab of AZ and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days. I recovered eventually and was told it would be twelve weeks before the second one…,” Clapton wrote.
“About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers. Needless to say the reactions were disastrous, my hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again, (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.) But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eric-clapton-disastrous-vaccine-propaganda-1170264/
So here’s the thing – regardless of which side of the fence Mr. Clapton happens to fall on – and let’s say that, oh fuck it, he did fall on the wrong side. Here’s the thing and we cannot stress this enough – get the damn vaccine! Whatever side effects you go through are worth it because the alternative is spending the rest of eternity six feet under. The bottom line is either listen to experts or listen to idiots, and listening to the experts is the way to go. Because if you listen to idiots you’re the one who will ultimately lose in the long run.
World-renowned guitarist Eric Clapton has emerged as a public face against COVID-19 vaccines and mandates, and a new report claiming he gave funds to an anti-vax band drew the ire of
Reid excoriated the 76-year-old musician in her "The Absolute Worst" segment on the Monday edition of MSNBC's The ReidOut program. Along with Clapton protesting vaccines, the broadcaster took exception with him comparing lockdowns to slavery.
She noted how the lyrics of a recent anti-lockdown song he recorded with Van Morrison, which includes the line, "Do you want to be a free man or do you want to be a slave?"
Newsweek Newsletter sign-up >
While also referencing comedian Jim Breuer's recent anti-mandate remarks, Reid said that "what really stands out about white anti-vaxxers, in particular, is they act like their freedom has been taken from them and they have this weird habit of trying to do that by co-opting the history of actually oppressed people."
"Yeah, because getting a free vaccine is exactly like slavery and Jim Crow," she said.
During the segment, Reid also brought up racist statements Clapton made in the past. Most infamous were his comments made during a 1976 concert in Birmingham, England. He told the audience that night to, among other things, "stop Britain from becoming a black colony" and to "keep Britain white."
https://www.newsweek.com/joy-reid-slams-eric-clapton-donating-anti-vax-group-what-he-has-said-vaccines-1638206
Reid excoriated the 76-year-old musician in her "The Absolute Worst" segment on the Monday edition of MSNBC's The ReidOut program. Along with Clapton protesting vaccines, the broadcaster took exception with him comparing lockdowns to slavery.
She noted how the lyrics of a recent anti-lockdown song he recorded with Van Morrison, which includes the line, "Do you want to be a free man or do you want to be a slave?"
Newsweek Newsletter sign-up >
While also referencing comedian Jim Breuer's recent anti-mandate remarks, Reid said that "what really stands out about white anti-vaxxers, in particular, is they act like their freedom has been taken from them and they have this weird habit of trying to do that by co-opting the history of actually oppressed people."
"Yeah, because getting a free vaccine is exactly like slavery and Jim Crow," she said.
During the segment, Reid also brought up racist statements Clapton made in the past. Most infamous were his comments made during a 1976 concert in Birmingham, England. He told the audience that night to, among other things, "stop Britain from becoming a black colony" and to "keep Britain white."
https://www.newsweek.com/joy-reid-slams-eric-clapton-donating-anti-vax-group-what-he-has-said-vaccines-1638206
Yeah so that’s anti-vaccination crusader Eric Clapton. That’s this week’s:
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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! Here’s the thing folks – we’re not making fun of the murder of Gabby Petito at all. I cannot stress that enough. But what we can make fun of is the situation at hand. Last week we talked about how things got ridiculous when Dog The Bounty Hunter got involved. But there’s far more to his involvement than meets the eye. And trust us when I say that the more you go down the wormhole on this, the weirder it gets. It starts with Dog The Bounty Hunter canceling his appearance at Hazzard Fest – an annual celebration of the TV show “The Dukes Of Hazzard”. You’ll have to excuse the TMZ link.
Dog the Bounty Hunter is skipping a scheduled gig with fans to keep grinding on his search for Brian Laundrie -- speaking to how seriously the guy's taking this manhunt.
A rep for Duane Chapman tells TMZ ... Dog will NOT be appearing this weekend at Hazzard Fest in Tennessee, where he was booked for a celeb meet-and-greet alongside the likes of folks like 'Duck Dynasty' stars, 'Swamp People' stars and other A&E famous faces.
Dog's presence at Hazzard was announced in mid-September ... and he was probably booked well ahead of that. However, in light of his recent involvement in the Laundrie search ... we're told he's forgoing Hazzard to keep working -- which is his top priority right now.
In his place ... Dog's son, Leland Chapman, will show up and shake hands on behalf of his pops.
Long story short, it's clear Dog is taking this assignment to heart ... and, as it turns out, he plans to see it through 'til the end -- no matter how long it takes, we're told. His rep says Dog will stay on Laundrie's trail so long as viable tips come in, and there's still belief he may be out there and alive.
https://www.tmz.com/2021/10/05/dog-the-bounty-hunter-cancels-hazzard-fest-appearance-focus-brian-laundrie-search/
A rep for Duane Chapman tells TMZ ... Dog will NOT be appearing this weekend at Hazzard Fest in Tennessee, where he was booked for a celeb meet-and-greet alongside the likes of folks like 'Duck Dynasty' stars, 'Swamp People' stars and other A&E famous faces.
Dog's presence at Hazzard was announced in mid-September ... and he was probably booked well ahead of that. However, in light of his recent involvement in the Laundrie search ... we're told he's forgoing Hazzard to keep working -- which is his top priority right now.
In his place ... Dog's son, Leland Chapman, will show up and shake hands on behalf of his pops.
Long story short, it's clear Dog is taking this assignment to heart ... and, as it turns out, he plans to see it through 'til the end -- no matter how long it takes, we're told. His rep says Dog will stay on Laundrie's trail so long as viable tips come in, and there's still belief he may be out there and alive.
https://www.tmz.com/2021/10/05/dog-the-bounty-hunter-cancels-hazzard-fest-appearance-focus-brian-laundrie-search/
So that happened. Then from there it gets even more ridiculous. Apparently he went to Brian Laundrie’s house for some reason. But two things – one – why am I not at all surprised that this story is taking place in Florida? And second why would you leave a vacation to find this out? OK I’m done trying to understand this story, it’s getting too weird even for a segment that explores conspiracy theories and all the batshit crazy things that the right does.
Television's Dog the Bounty Hunter is joining the search for Brian Laundrie, the only person wanted in connection with Gabby Petito's disappearance. Saturday afternoon, the reality star was seen banging on the screen door of the North Port home Brian shares with his parents.
The family did not answer and Duane "Dog" Chapman, along with his wife, left the home after a few minutes. Police were seen shortly afterward entering the Laundrie home and exiting within moments.
Chapman was already in Florida on a honeymoon with his wife Francie, he told FOX News, when people began reaching out to him to look into Laundrie’s disappearance.
Dog and Francie are currently searching the community where Brian Laundrie was last seen, but the preserve is closed to all but law enforcement.
Crews continued searching Saturday, having already combed the whole north side and much of the Venice side of the reserve.
"We are not wasting our time out here. We are doing our due diligence to find Brian in an area that intelligence had led us that he could possibly be in," Fussell explained Friday.
https://www.fox13news.com/news/dog-the-bounty-hunter-joins-the-search-for-brian-laundrie
The family did not answer and Duane "Dog" Chapman, along with his wife, left the home after a few minutes. Police were seen shortly afterward entering the Laundrie home and exiting within moments.
Chapman was already in Florida on a honeymoon with his wife Francie, he told FOX News, when people began reaching out to him to look into Laundrie’s disappearance.
Dog and Francie are currently searching the community where Brian Laundrie was last seen, but the preserve is closed to all but law enforcement.
Crews continued searching Saturday, having already combed the whole north side and much of the Venice side of the reserve.
"We are not wasting our time out here. We are doing our due diligence to find Brian in an area that intelligence had led us that he could possibly be in," Fussell explained Friday.
https://www.fox13news.com/news/dog-the-bounty-hunter-joins-the-search-for-brian-laundrie
Wait wait wait wait… so let me get this straight. You’re in Florida to hunt down Brian Laundrie or you’re in Florida because you’re on vacation and just happened to vacation near Brian Laundrie’s house? I am getting mixed signals here. But guess what? Dog may be using this case to launch a platform for a new reality series. That’s right – he’s interested in this case because it will help catapult his TV career? And why wouldn’t it? It already got an episode of South Park, what more do you want?
As Dog the Bounty Hunter makes his way back into the news by chasing down Brian Laundrie — the person of interest after his fiancée, Gabby Petito, was found dead in Wyoming — he’s also plotting his return to TV. Thinkfactory Media, the producers behind WE TV’s “Marriage Boot Camp” and “Mama June: From Not to Hot” and TBS’ “Rat in the Kitchen,” among other hit reality franchises, is currently shopping a new series starring the Dog.
Dog the Bounty Hunter, of course, is Duane “Dog” Chapman, who starred in A&E’s “Dog the Bounty Hunter” for eight seasons. Later, Chapman and his wife, Beth, starred in the CMT series “Dog and Beth: On the Hunt,” which ran for two years. A&E chronicled Beth Chapman’s cancer diagnosis in the 2017 special “Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives.”
Most recently, WGN America ran the series “Dog’s Most Wanted,” which aired in fall 2019. Another series, “Dog’s Unleashed,” was originally set to run on the streaming service UnleashedTV, but was later scrapped.
Thinkfactory is currently working with Chapman on pitching the new show, believed to follow Chapman’s day-to-day life and his exploits. That could include his current activities — and he’s back in the headlines as he leads a bounty hunting expedition to find Laundrie. Chapman has been posting video on social media of his search, including one on Wednesday in which he detailed his “active and specific search in a key area based on the intelligence we are receiving and researching. Boat crews and ground teams have been called in and we have search and rescue dogs deployed.”
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/dog-the-bounty-hunter-duane-chapman-brian-laundrie-manhunt-tv-series-1235077177/
Dog the Bounty Hunter, of course, is Duane “Dog” Chapman, who starred in A&E’s “Dog the Bounty Hunter” for eight seasons. Later, Chapman and his wife, Beth, starred in the CMT series “Dog and Beth: On the Hunt,” which ran for two years. A&E chronicled Beth Chapman’s cancer diagnosis in the 2017 special “Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives.”
Most recently, WGN America ran the series “Dog’s Most Wanted,” which aired in fall 2019. Another series, “Dog’s Unleashed,” was originally set to run on the streaming service UnleashedTV, but was later scrapped.
Thinkfactory is currently working with Chapman on pitching the new show, believed to follow Chapman’s day-to-day life and his exploits. That could include his current activities — and he’s back in the headlines as he leads a bounty hunting expedition to find Laundrie. Chapman has been posting video on social media of his search, including one on Wednesday in which he detailed his “active and specific search in a key area based on the intelligence we are receiving and researching. Boat crews and ground teams have been called in and we have search and rescue dogs deployed.”
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/dog-the-bounty-hunter-duane-chapman-brian-laundrie-manhunt-tv-series-1235077177/
Now here’s where it gets weird. You didn’t think it could possibly get much weirder did you? Well I say you’re wrong! And here’s the thing – if Dog The Bounty Hunter actually succeeds in helping the police capture Brian Laundrie – and he absolutely should be brought to justice – then I will gladly chew on my tin foil hat and admit that I was wrong about this whole thing. But for now this entire thing clearly sits in the “too ridiculous to make up” counter.
Dog the Bounty Hunter is leaving the hunt for Brian Laundrie in Florida after suffering an ankle injury, according to reports. But he isn’t calling off the search just yet.
Dog, whose real name is Duane Chapman, returned home to Colorado to meet with his doctor following the ankle injury, according to WFLA. He had been searching for Laundrie since Sept. 27 after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Laundrie, 23, has been missing since Sept. 17, shortly after he returned home from a cross-country trip with his girlfriend, Gabby Petito. Petito was later found dead in Wyoming.
According to WFLA, Chapman’s search for Laundrie is not over.
“He’s put together a talented network of local team members he calls the ‘Florida Team’ that will continue the search while he’s gone,” the report said. “He says he will continue to process leads in Colorado while he’s there.”
https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2021/10/dog-the-bounty-hunter-injured-during-search-for-brian-laundrie-returns-home.html
Dog, whose real name is Duane Chapman, returned home to Colorado to meet with his doctor following the ankle injury, according to WFLA. He had been searching for Laundrie since Sept. 27 after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Laundrie, 23, has been missing since Sept. 17, shortly after he returned home from a cross-country trip with his girlfriend, Gabby Petito. Petito was later found dead in Wyoming.
According to WFLA, Chapman’s search for Laundrie is not over.
“He’s put together a talented network of local team members he calls the ‘Florida Team’ that will continue the search while he’s gone,” the report said. “He says he will continue to process leads in Colorado while he’s there.”
https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2021/10/dog-the-bounty-hunter-injured-during-search-for-brian-laundrie-returns-home.html
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[font size="8"]I Need A Drink
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Hey everyone I don’t know about you but I could really use a drink!
So of course you know that the idea behind this segment is that we have some drinks, and we talk about anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. This week we’re taking a look at the growing phenomenon of celebrities who refuse to take a shower. Yeah it’s a disgusting subject, I know. So tell me bartender, what goes well with a story about BO? The BO cocktail? What’s in it? Why don’t you just bottle that and sell it as a COVID cure to idiots who refuse to get the vaccine? All right I’ll go partners with you. In the meantime I want my usual Jack Daniels mixed with Jack Daniels. I mean come on, we’re in Salt Lake City. We have to jump through hoops for our booze! But this week we’re going to talk about the phenomenon of the stinky celebrity. It’s been reported that a growing number of celebrities are among those who refuse to shower. So what is going on exactly? Well it just seems like it’s one after another after another!
From juice cleanses to keto diets, and more recently, anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, it seems wealthy celebrities always have something to say about how we, the humble poors and normies, should be living our best, healthiest lives. This sort of out-of-touch prescriptivism is, after all, the stuff of multi-million dollar celebrity lifestyle brands, from Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop to Kourtney Kardashian's Poosh. If we try this life hack or that, our lives will supposedly become like those of the celebrities we're taught to worship.
Enter: the celebrity bath debate, that's split up an entire roster of A-listers into Team Shower vs. Team Anti-Shower. Somewhere in the shuffle between noting the shower statuses of Chris Evans and Cardi B, one has to take a step back and ask themselves, what does any of this really mean? Why do we, as a culture, even care? And is anyone really all that shocked that Jake Gyllenhal doesn't bathe? To answer these and other questions requires us to go back to the start, when the controversy first emerged earlier this summer.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis got us started in July when they opened up about only bathing their children when they start to smell, and fellow celeb parents Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard co-signed. What followed was a symphony of celebrity confessions and rebuffs.
https://www.salon.com/2021/08/17/celebrity-bathing-kutcher-kunis-gyllenhaal/
Enter: the celebrity bath debate, that's split up an entire roster of A-listers into Team Shower vs. Team Anti-Shower. Somewhere in the shuffle between noting the shower statuses of Chris Evans and Cardi B, one has to take a step back and ask themselves, what does any of this really mean? Why do we, as a culture, even care? And is anyone really all that shocked that Jake Gyllenhal doesn't bathe? To answer these and other questions requires us to go back to the start, when the controversy first emerged earlier this summer.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis got us started in July when they opened up about only bathing their children when they start to smell, and fellow celeb parents Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard co-signed. What followed was a symphony of celebrity confessions and rebuffs.
https://www.salon.com/2021/08/17/celebrity-bathing-kutcher-kunis-gyllenhaal/
Ah I needed that! So that’s the entire thing about celebrities – they’re weird. We get it. But that’s why they’re celebrities. It’s why Gwenyth Paltrow sells a $100 candle called “This Smells Like My Vagina” that exploded. Yeah picture that for a minute. I’m getting off topic here. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, and there’s plenty of bizarre celebrity behavior that could span over several editions of our favorite segment here. But none have gone as far as Paul Wall who doesn’t even wear deodorant! Get the puke bucket ready!
Just when you thought the great shower debate was over, 97.9 The Box kicked it back into gear. We recently witnessed celebrities coming forward to reveal that they didn't shower daily. Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Jake Gyllenhall, and several others admitted that they do not have a habit of showering daily, and Paul Wall has joined the list.
He appeared on 97.9 and was asked about his routine. “Every few days. I’m not gonna say—‘Few’ is like more than two, so it could mean three, it could be thirteen maybe," the rapper joked. "Today is shower day.”
Wall also stated that he does not wear deodorant for health reasons. "I used to, but when I stopped—it’s something you gotta get out of your system—but when I stopped wearing deodorant, I stopped getting as funky when I sweat. I don’t know if it’s just a hormone thing when I got older. Maybe it’s ’cause I got older, I don’t know.”
The rapper said that his wife and children continue to wear deodorant even though he has chosen not to. Wall was insistent that he does not smell bad and cited the "aluminum in deodorant" as the reason why he has opted to not use certain products. Swipe below to listen to the rapper explain himself in full.
https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/paul-wall-doesnt-shower-daily-explains-why-he-no-longer-wears-deodorant-news.139410.html
He appeared on 97.9 and was asked about his routine. “Every few days. I’m not gonna say—‘Few’ is like more than two, so it could mean three, it could be thirteen maybe," the rapper joked. "Today is shower day.”
Wall also stated that he does not wear deodorant for health reasons. "I used to, but when I stopped—it’s something you gotta get out of your system—but when I stopped wearing deodorant, I stopped getting as funky when I sweat. I don’t know if it’s just a hormone thing when I got older. Maybe it’s ’cause I got older, I don’t know.”
The rapper said that his wife and children continue to wear deodorant even though he has chosen not to. Wall was insistent that he does not smell bad and cited the "aluminum in deodorant" as the reason why he has opted to not use certain products. Swipe below to listen to the rapper explain himself in full.
https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/paul-wall-doesnt-shower-daily-explains-why-he-no-longer-wears-deodorant-news.139410.html
Yes, we like our booze in mass quantities here! And me being the host of the show, I get my drinks comped! But that said, there’s not all celebrities who are refusing to cleanse themselves. The antidote to this madness comes from Jason Momoa. Yes, Aquaman himself has the cure for the BS. That’s right – he’s the king of the fucking water, and that’s according to his words. So why wouldn’t he want to bathe or use a pool? Good question!
After the trend of celebrities sharing their controversial bathing habits went viral, Aquaman star Jason Momoa made his position on personal hygiene clear while doing press for his upcoming movie, Sweet Girl. Momoa first hit the scene in 1999 playing Jason Ioane on Baywatch: Hawaii. However, it wasn't until 2011 when he truly stepped into the spotlight after playing Khal Drogo in the first two seasons of HBO's hit fantasy series, Game of Thrones. Since 2011, Momoa has portrayed the half-human, half-Atlantean superhero, Aquaman (a.k.a. Arthur Curry), in the DCEU.
Celebrity hygiene has—strangely enough—become a trending topic in recent weeks, sparking somewhat of a Hollywood bathing debate. The conversation started when Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher told Dax Shepard that they don't bathe daily, Kunis adding: "I don't wash my body with soap every day." They also explained that they didn't wash their kids daily when they were young, raising some eyebrows from readers, and yes, other celebs. On Twitter, Dwayne Johnson said that he's "the opposite of a 'not washing themselves' celeb," and showers at least 3 times a day. Other A-listers have taken their sides, with Shepard's wife, Kristen Bell, and actor Jake Gyllenhaal agreeing with Kunis and Kutcher's more casual approach to bathing. Jodie Turner-Smith, on the other hand, reacted by tweeting: "Before you lot even ask: in this house, we bathe."
In an interview with Access Hollywood alongside co-star Isabel Merced, the whole celebrity showering debate came up in conversation. Momoa insisted that while other celebs might skip out on their daily hygiene rituals, he prefers to stay squeaky clean. Momoa told the interviewer, "I'm Aquaman. I'm in the f–king water. Don't worry about it. I'm Hawaiian. We got saltwater on me. We good."
https://screenrant.com/aquaman-jason-momoa-celebrity-shower-bathe-response/
Celebrity hygiene has—strangely enough—become a trending topic in recent weeks, sparking somewhat of a Hollywood bathing debate. The conversation started when Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher told Dax Shepard that they don't bathe daily, Kunis adding: "I don't wash my body with soap every day." They also explained that they didn't wash their kids daily when they were young, raising some eyebrows from readers, and yes, other celebs. On Twitter, Dwayne Johnson said that he's "the opposite of a 'not washing themselves' celeb," and showers at least 3 times a day. Other A-listers have taken their sides, with Shepard's wife, Kristen Bell, and actor Jake Gyllenhaal agreeing with Kunis and Kutcher's more casual approach to bathing. Jodie Turner-Smith, on the other hand, reacted by tweeting: "Before you lot even ask: in this house, we bathe."
In an interview with Access Hollywood alongside co-star Isabel Merced, the whole celebrity showering debate came up in conversation. Momoa insisted that while other celebs might skip out on their daily hygiene rituals, he prefers to stay squeaky clean. Momoa told the interviewer, "I'm Aquaman. I'm in the f–king water. Don't worry about it. I'm Hawaiian. We got saltwater on me. We good."
https://screenrant.com/aquaman-jason-momoa-celebrity-shower-bathe-response/
So now you might be asking “what’s the solution?”. Well I answer you sir / madam, with a simple “I don’t know”. But is going au natural the solution? Well you’re about half right. It turns out that the human need for showering and cleanliness stems out of fear. The most obvious targets being the smelly kids in middle school. You know, kind of like Pig Pen from the old Peanuts cartoons. Ask yourself this – do you want to be Pig Pen or do you want to be like Mila Kunis? Yeah that’s a weird question, but I am kind of drunk right now. No wait, I’m extremely drunk.
This summer, we as an adoring, dutiful public watched in horror as our glamorous perception of celebrities was shattered thanks to waves of rich and famous people coming out as proudly … dirty. The people we’re supposed to hold up as the pinnacle of beauty, taste, and presumably hygiene set the internet ablaze with seemingly endless interviews in which they reveal that they are forgoing the traditional bathing schedule for something a little more, how do you say, au naturel. It turns out all that glitters is in fact not gold, and maybe on top of that is kind of stinky. Well, I’m coming to you today, dear reader, to potentially ruin my own life by saying that actually, this is not that big of a deal. I’m here to stand up for our celebrity brethren and defend their right to be a little bit crusty.
First, I think it’s important to note that I am riddled with personal biases. For example, I have in my past claimed to be a “lil stinker,” which I define as someone who showers when needed based on smell and comfort but not necessarily a daily schedule, and who doesn’t really wear deodorant unless I’m going to something where it would be actively impolite to sweat (think: warm-weather funeral). Does this lead to me being “gross”? My internal polling of those close to me has led me to believe that I am of neutral scent and therefore completely inoffensive (there’s obviously room for error in the event that everyone is lying to me, but I cannot go down that rabbit hole). I guess my deal is mostly like: Some days I don’t shower … and that’s okay.
https://www.vulture.com/2021/08/the-stinky-celebrities-are-right.html
First, I think it’s important to note that I am riddled with personal biases. For example, I have in my past claimed to be a “lil stinker,” which I define as someone who showers when needed based on smell and comfort but not necessarily a daily schedule, and who doesn’t really wear deodorant unless I’m going to something where it would be actively impolite to sweat (think: warm-weather funeral). Does this lead to me being “gross”? My internal polling of those close to me has led me to believe that I am of neutral scent and therefore completely inoffensive (there’s obviously room for error in the event that everyone is lying to me, but I cannot go down that rabbit hole). I guess my deal is mostly like: Some days I don’t shower … and that’s okay.
https://www.vulture.com/2021/08/the-stinky-celebrities-are-right.html
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[font size="8"]Red State Diaries
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Welcome back to our segment exploring what the MAGA cult is up to in Red State Diaries. Last week, we came back with a vengeance because the Former Guy is going out on his Out For Justice tour. And do we need to point out the fact that Steven Segal has moved to Moscow and is heavily involved with the Russian government? Do we really need to? Of course if you’re following us you already know that so we are moving on! But what we are going to do this week – the Former Guy went to Iowa and was once again spewing his bullshit. And this is in front of a crowd that will willfully ingest medication that’s meant for farm animals. But why is this his craziest rally yet? And we’ve been covering these damn things from the beginning. Well when Trump can no longer barf his brain on social media, he gets very weird. And what’s really alarming is that people who condemned his involvement in the January 6th riots like Charles Grassley for instance, are now none too happy to bend over and kiss his ass. Which is actually a pretty disgusting sight.
While Donald Trump has held several rallies since the January 6 Capitol insurrection, his rally in Iowa Saturday was the most alarming by far.
At Trump's past post-presidency events, you wouldn't find the state's leading GOP officials attending en masse. In fact, at a rally in Georgia last month, Trump railed against the state's Republican leaders for refusing to assist him in illegally overturning the 2020 election. Trump even told the crowd he'd prefer potential Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams as governor over his fellow Republican who's currently in office, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Saturday's rally in Iowa, though, was different. This one was attended by longtime Iowa US Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson, and other mainstream Republican officials. Some of these very same people, who just nine months ago were slamming Trump for his role in the Capitol riots, were now only too happy to be seen supporting him. This is politics at its worst -- and at its most dangerous for our democracy.
The most hypocritical of the bunch is Sen. Grassley, who on January 6 was escorted by his security detail to a secure location to protect him from the pro-Trump mob that had laid siege on the Capitol. Grassley, who voted to certify the 2020 election, made a veiled reference to Trump in his statement, noting that the lawsuits filed after the election had failed and that "politicians in Washington should not second guess the courts once they have ruled."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/10/opinions/trump-iowa-rally-gop-embrace-obeidallah/index.html
At Trump's past post-presidency events, you wouldn't find the state's leading GOP officials attending en masse. In fact, at a rally in Georgia last month, Trump railed against the state's Republican leaders for refusing to assist him in illegally overturning the 2020 election. Trump even told the crowd he'd prefer potential Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams as governor over his fellow Republican who's currently in office, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Saturday's rally in Iowa, though, was different. This one was attended by longtime Iowa US Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson, and other mainstream Republican officials. Some of these very same people, who just nine months ago were slamming Trump for his role in the Capitol riots, were now only too happy to be seen supporting him. This is politics at its worst -- and at its most dangerous for our democracy.
The most hypocritical of the bunch is Sen. Grassley, who on January 6 was escorted by his security detail to a secure location to protect him from the pro-Trump mob that had laid siege on the Capitol. Grassley, who voted to certify the 2020 election, made a veiled reference to Trump in his statement, noting that the lawsuits filed after the election had failed and that "politicians in Washington should not second guess the courts once they have ruled."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/10/opinions/trump-iowa-rally-gop-embrace-obeidallah/index.html
Yeah so Charles Grassley had an independent thought and now the Former Guy has reeled him in, made him kiss his proverbial feet and now he is firmly back in with the cult. But now he’s either “Make America Great Again, Again” or “Save America” depending on where the location is. This time it was Save America. But you can’t deny how intentionally awful the phrase “Make America Great Again, Again” is. It’s like a 1st grader wrote this who thought he was funny repeating the same word twice.
Former President Trump’s latest stop was Des Moines, Iowa, as he made the rounds across the United States to fire up his political supporters.
Iowa is the first state in the nation to hold presidential nomination precinct caucuses.
Trump made several familiar claims in the state he won in the 2020 election — some were true, and others were either exaggerated or outright false — especially his claims of election fraud.
Conjecture that former President Donald Trump is seeking back the White House job he held for four years continued to generate news— and fact checks — in Iowa on Saturday night, Oct. 9.
Trump’s latest visit was a Save America Rally that drew thousands of people to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, and was run by Trump’s Save America PAC.
We checked some of the Republican former president’s Iowa comments. Many are familiar from previous appearances across the country. But, they bear paying attention to because Iowa has held the nation’s first presidential nominating precinct caucuses and, so far, figures to do so again in 2024.
"Just this week the latest Des Moines Register poll showed that Biden is a record low, 31 percent approval in Iowa … While your all-time favorite president … is at a record high, the highest we’ve ever been."
https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/oct/11/fact-checking-former-president-donald-trumps-iowa-/
Iowa is the first state in the nation to hold presidential nomination precinct caucuses.
Trump made several familiar claims in the state he won in the 2020 election — some were true, and others were either exaggerated or outright false — especially his claims of election fraud.
Conjecture that former President Donald Trump is seeking back the White House job he held for four years continued to generate news— and fact checks — in Iowa on Saturday night, Oct. 9.
Trump’s latest visit was a Save America Rally that drew thousands of people to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, and was run by Trump’s Save America PAC.
We checked some of the Republican former president’s Iowa comments. Many are familiar from previous appearances across the country. But, they bear paying attention to because Iowa has held the nation’s first presidential nominating precinct caucuses and, so far, figures to do so again in 2024.
"Just this week the latest Des Moines Register poll showed that Biden is a record low, 31 percent approval in Iowa … While your all-time favorite president … is at a record high, the highest we’ve ever been."
https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/oct/11/fact-checking-former-president-donald-trumps-iowa-/
Yes, holy shit indeed! If Iowa’s poll numbers don’t alarm you then you’re not paying attention! But what’s even more alarming is that the right is talking about the prospect of civil war. Now here’s the thing – most of Trump’s base is vehemently anti-vaccine. So how the hell can we expect them to fight a civil war when most of their people are dead or dying from COVID? It’s absolute insanity I tell you! I just can’t even with these people.
Civil War" was a top trending topic on Twitter on Sunday after remarks from an attendee of former President Donald Trump's rally in Iowa were widely circulated online and by the media.
Trump held a rally at the Iowa State Fairground in Des Moines on Saturday. At the event, Trump supporter Lori Levi told MSNBC that she believes the U.S. is headed for a "civil war." Levi criticized Democrats and Republicans, saying most members of the GOP are "as weak as they possibly could be in Congress."
"They're establishment. They don't care about the American people because they're in their elite little tower," she said. "So we're just sick of it, you know, and we're not going to take it anymore. I see a civil war coming. I do. I see civil war coming."
As of Sunday afternoon, the term "Civil War" had been tweeted nearly 67,000 times as it trended on the major social media platform. Many were criticizing Trump supporters and the right-wing "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement. Some also tried to offer solutions to the current divide within American society.
https://www.newsweek.com/civil-war-trends-twitter-after-iowa-trump-rally-attendees-remarks-go-viral-1637410
Trump held a rally at the Iowa State Fairground in Des Moines on Saturday. At the event, Trump supporter Lori Levi told MSNBC that she believes the U.S. is headed for a "civil war." Levi criticized Democrats and Republicans, saying most members of the GOP are "as weak as they possibly could be in Congress."
"They're establishment. They don't care about the American people because they're in their elite little tower," she said. "So we're just sick of it, you know, and we're not going to take it anymore. I see a civil war coming. I do. I see civil war coming."
As of Sunday afternoon, the term "Civil War" had been tweeted nearly 67,000 times as it trended on the major social media platform. Many were criticizing Trump supporters and the right-wing "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement. Some also tried to offer solutions to the current divide within American society.
https://www.newsweek.com/civil-war-trends-twitter-after-iowa-trump-rally-attendees-remarks-go-viral-1637410
Yeah civil war right. Fuck you. That’s like the worst possible thing you could do, and the ramifications could last years and even decades. If you think getting a fucking vaccine in your arm is going to inconvenience you? Just wait until a war breaks out. Yeah it’s no reason why we should be headed that way but we’re more divided than ever. It’s going to be the “HEY! THEY LOOK LIKE DORKS” defense that lights this powder keg. But with many of them dead or dying from COVID, don’t expect this war to get past the planning stages.
“The man just refuses to go away,” he said of Donald Trump, who held a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday in which he “repeated the same deranged lies about the election that he’s been repeating for months”.
Trump ranted about Pennsylvania and claimed he won the election in the state because at one point, he was ahead during the vote count. “Yet even his own crowd wasn’t exactly electrified by hearing the same old incoherent nonsense over and over again,” said Meyers. “I love the cutaways to sullen Trump fans just standing there in silence like tourists watching one of those gold statue guys in Times Square.”
“And you can tell Trump was waiting for a crowd reaction, too,” he added. “It’s like watching an open mic night at the senior center.”
While Meyers called it “liberating” to not “think or care about what this lunatic says or does on a daily basis”, the Republican party remains “fully devoted to Trump”. The Iowa senator Chuck Grassley joined Trump at his rally in the state, and on Fox News Sunday, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House’s No 2 Republican, refused to deny Trump’s big lie of election fraud.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/12/seth-meyers-trump-jimmy-kimmel-fallon
Trump ranted about Pennsylvania and claimed he won the election in the state because at one point, he was ahead during the vote count. “Yet even his own crowd wasn’t exactly electrified by hearing the same old incoherent nonsense over and over again,” said Meyers. “I love the cutaways to sullen Trump fans just standing there in silence like tourists watching one of those gold statue guys in Times Square.”
“And you can tell Trump was waiting for a crowd reaction, too,” he added. “It’s like watching an open mic night at the senior center.”
While Meyers called it “liberating” to not “think or care about what this lunatic says or does on a daily basis”, the Republican party remains “fully devoted to Trump”. The Iowa senator Chuck Grassley joined Trump at his rally in the state, and on Fox News Sunday, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House’s No 2 Republican, refused to deny Trump’s big lie of election fraud.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/12/seth-meyers-trump-jimmy-kimmel-fallon
[font size="4"]Next Week: [/font]
MAGA wants a war? We’ll give them some stats that show them that they’ve got a lot of building to do and even then they still won’t win!
[font size="4"]And Now This: [/font]
[font size="4"]Twenty One Pilots [/font]
Folks my next guest are one of the best bands to break out in the last 10 years. You can see them on the Takeover Tour through Nov. 4th! Playing their song “Saturday”, give it up for Twenty One Pilots!
Thank you Salt Lake City! We had an awesome time. Unfortunately our show next week in Seattle got canceled (Holy Shit will still air as scheduled) but we will be back on 10/28 live from Sacramento with our Halloween special with live music from our good friend Rob Zombie!
Credits
Host: Initech
Top 10 Conservative Idiots Recorded At: Zanies Comedy Club, Salt Lake City, UT
Twenty One Pilots appear courtesy of: Fueled By Ramen, LLC
Images: All images copyright belongs to respective copyright holders.
Videos: All videos copyright belongs to respective copyright holders
Articles: All article content copyright belongs to respective copyright holders
Writing: Top 10 Writing Department
Graphics: Top 10 Graphics Department
Research: Top 10 Research Department
Lighting & Stage Props: Top 10 Lighting Department
Legal: Top 10 Legal Department
Advertising: Top 10 Advertising Department
HR: Top 10 Human Resources Department
Initech’s Wardrobe Provided By: JAB Inc.
Wheel Of Corruption By: Studio 1 Stage Props, Burbank, CA
Management: Initech Productions, CCC Management
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Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo
1 replies
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K & R for showing up on the dot of 5.00pm