Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
September 24, 2022
The right loves to say "politics is downstream from culture," but on the right the opposite is true
Tim Pool's "music" and Ben Shapiro's "movies": No one would consume this stuff, if not to "own" the liberals
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 1:00PM (EDT)
(Salon) For those living in that blessed intersection of hyper-aware of the music charts but totally ignorant of the world of far-right politics, it was no doubt a mystery: A comically terrible rock song called "Only Ever Wanted" by a band called Timcast had hit #2 on the iTunes music chart. It's a song so bad that it provokes retroactive respect for the songcraft and musicianship of the mid-2000s cut-rate emo bands that it's ripping off.
Unfortunately, the answer to the mystery is far more terrible than "a lot of people have bad taste." Timcast is the, uh, brainchild of Tim Pool, a YouTube personality who pretends to be a liberal to give cover to what is, in fact, a steady stream of fascistic propaganda. As the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented, while claiming to be a "disaffected liberal," Pool has "pushed his commentary in an extreme hard-right direction in recent years," amplifying figures like January 6 organizer Ali Alexander, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Infowars founder Alex Jones. As Daily Beast documented, Pool has garnered more than a billion views for his videos hyping far-right conspiracy theories and white nationalist ideas.
In other words, people aren't listening to this embarrassingly subpar emo "music" because they like it. They like white nationalism and think that, by listening to this song, they're helping support the cause. For most people, what they like in a pop song is if it has a good beat and you can dance to it. For the far right, however, the only question is "does this song trigger the liberals?"
One of the shibboleths of the increasingly fascist American right is a quote commonly attributed to the decade-dead Andrew Breitbart: "Politics is downstream from culture." It's a notion that drives a lot of the relentless right-wing whining about "woke Hollywood." The belief, which isn't entirely irrational, is that the more people see same-sex couples, drag queens, Black hobbits, and female superheroes onscreen, the more tolerant they'll become of the idea that one can be a person while not being a straight white male. For the right, that can't be countenanced, which is why mobs of aggrieved bigots diligently review-bomb popular shows and movies with diverse casts, in hopes of scaring Hollywood into believing the mantra "go woke, go broke." (Sadly, the campaign appears to be working on Warner Brothers, threatening the future of many of the best shows on TV.) ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/23/the-right-loves-to-say-politics-is-downstream-from-culture-but-on-the-right-the-opposite-is-true/
The right loves to say "politics is downstream from culture," but on the right the opposite is true
The right loves to say "politics is downstream from culture," but on the right the opposite is true
Tim Pool's "music" and Ben Shapiro's "movies": No one would consume this stuff, if not to "own" the liberals
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 1:00PM (EDT)
(Salon) For those living in that blessed intersection of hyper-aware of the music charts but totally ignorant of the world of far-right politics, it was no doubt a mystery: A comically terrible rock song called "Only Ever Wanted" by a band called Timcast had hit #2 on the iTunes music chart. It's a song so bad that it provokes retroactive respect for the songcraft and musicianship of the mid-2000s cut-rate emo bands that it's ripping off.
Unfortunately, the answer to the mystery is far more terrible than "a lot of people have bad taste." Timcast is the, uh, brainchild of Tim Pool, a YouTube personality who pretends to be a liberal to give cover to what is, in fact, a steady stream of fascistic propaganda. As the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented, while claiming to be a "disaffected liberal," Pool has "pushed his commentary in an extreme hard-right direction in recent years," amplifying figures like January 6 organizer Ali Alexander, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Infowars founder Alex Jones. As Daily Beast documented, Pool has garnered more than a billion views for his videos hyping far-right conspiracy theories and white nationalist ideas.
In other words, people aren't listening to this embarrassingly subpar emo "music" because they like it. They like white nationalism and think that, by listening to this song, they're helping support the cause. For most people, what they like in a pop song is if it has a good beat and you can dance to it. For the far right, however, the only question is "does this song trigger the liberals?"
One of the shibboleths of the increasingly fascist American right is a quote commonly attributed to the decade-dead Andrew Breitbart: "Politics is downstream from culture." It's a notion that drives a lot of the relentless right-wing whining about "woke Hollywood." The belief, which isn't entirely irrational, is that the more people see same-sex couples, drag queens, Black hobbits, and female superheroes onscreen, the more tolerant they'll become of the idea that one can be a person while not being a straight white male. For the right, that can't be countenanced, which is why mobs of aggrieved bigots diligently review-bomb popular shows and movies with diverse casts, in hopes of scaring Hollywood into believing the mantra "go woke, go broke." (Sadly, the campaign appears to be working on Warner Brothers, threatening the future of many of the best shows on TV.) ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/23/the-right-loves-to-say-politics-is-downstream-from-culture-but-on-the-right-the-opposite-is-true/
September 23, 2022
(Salon) Anew investigation has revealed that Secret Service was monitoring threats against the U.S. Capitol made by at least one neo-Nazi group prior to Jan. 6.
According to Crew, the threats in question were made by a member of Vorherrschaft Division on a far-right extremist messaging site called Telegram. Initially spotted by SITE Intelligence Group, the statements made in an apparent attempt to organize violent maneuvers against the Capitol were then relayed to Capitol Police by Secret Service, at which point they were told "Thanks bro!"
"We need boots on the ground and voices loud enough to be heard for miles. That's the only way things are going to change…," read one of the messages warned about. In yet another, like-minded organizers were urged to "push for more nationalist policies and attitudes."
After spotting these communications, SITE Intelligence Group, "a non-governmental organization tracking online activity of white nationalists and extremist groups" recognized them to be an imminent threat as they're trained to spot and inform relevant officials of these very things. But once the intel was passed on the Secret Service, and then Capitol Police, there seems to have been a lapse in a general sense of preventative urgency. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/22/secret-warned-capitol-police-of-neo-nazi-a-week-prior-to-insurrection/
Secret Service warned Capitol Police of neo-Nazi threats a week prior to insurrection
(Salon) Anew investigation has revealed that Secret Service was monitoring threats against the U.S. Capitol made by at least one neo-Nazi group prior to Jan. 6.
According to Crew, the threats in question were made by a member of Vorherrschaft Division on a far-right extremist messaging site called Telegram. Initially spotted by SITE Intelligence Group, the statements made in an apparent attempt to organize violent maneuvers against the Capitol were then relayed to Capitol Police by Secret Service, at which point they were told "Thanks bro!"
"We need boots on the ground and voices loud enough to be heard for miles. That's the only way things are going to change…," read one of the messages warned about. In yet another, like-minded organizers were urged to "push for more nationalist policies and attitudes."
After spotting these communications, SITE Intelligence Group, "a non-governmental organization tracking online activity of white nationalists and extremist groups" recognized them to be an imminent threat as they're trained to spot and inform relevant officials of these very things. But once the intel was passed on the Secret Service, and then Capitol Police, there seems to have been a lapse in a general sense of preventative urgency. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/22/secret-warned-capitol-police-of-neo-nazi-a-week-prior-to-insurrection/
September 22, 2022
The opening schedule for the Central Subway project was announced by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
Starting Nov. 19, 2022, the Central Subway will open with dedicated shuttle service on weekends between 4th and Brannan Station to Chinatown/Rose Pak Station, stopping along the way at Yerba Buena and Union Square where passengers can make transfers to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Market Street subway. Service specifically on this weekend shuttle for the Central Subway will be free in November and December. This soft launch will allow for additional operator training of the brand new system, while allowing the public to experience the system in service. In January, SFMTA will transition to daily service, connecting directly to the rest of the T-Third Line.
“The November opening represents a promise fulfilled to the Chinatown community to provide better local and regional transit connections,” said Rafael Mandelman, chair, San Francisco County Transportation Authority and District 8 supervisor. “The transportation authority was glad to support the project with $215 million from various sources, including the half-cent sales tax program. We hope to renew the half-cent sales tax program with approval of Measure L this November so that we can fund the city’s next generation of transformational projects.”
In celebration of the soft launch, the SFMTA will be hosting community station activations during October and early November at 4th and Brannan, Yerba Buena/Moscone, Union Square/Market Street and Chinatown/Rose Pak stations. The community celebrations are by invite-only and a “Thank You” to all the neighbors SFMTA has partnered with from the start of the project. ............(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/press-release/21281528/san-francisco-municipal-transportation-agency-sfmta-sfmta-announces-opening-schedule-of-central-subway-project
San Francisco: SFMTA announces opening schedule of Central Subway Project
The opening schedule for the Central Subway project was announced by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
Starting Nov. 19, 2022, the Central Subway will open with dedicated shuttle service on weekends between 4th and Brannan Station to Chinatown/Rose Pak Station, stopping along the way at Yerba Buena and Union Square where passengers can make transfers to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Market Street subway. Service specifically on this weekend shuttle for the Central Subway will be free in November and December. This soft launch will allow for additional operator training of the brand new system, while allowing the public to experience the system in service. In January, SFMTA will transition to daily service, connecting directly to the rest of the T-Third Line.
“The November opening represents a promise fulfilled to the Chinatown community to provide better local and regional transit connections,” said Rafael Mandelman, chair, San Francisco County Transportation Authority and District 8 supervisor. “The transportation authority was glad to support the project with $215 million from various sources, including the half-cent sales tax program. We hope to renew the half-cent sales tax program with approval of Measure L this November so that we can fund the city’s next generation of transformational projects.”
In celebration of the soft launch, the SFMTA will be hosting community station activations during October and early November at 4th and Brannan, Yerba Buena/Moscone, Union Square/Market Street and Chinatown/Rose Pak stations. The community celebrations are by invite-only and a “Thank You” to all the neighbors SFMTA has partnered with from the start of the project. ............(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/press-release/21281528/san-francisco-municipal-transportation-agency-sfmta-sfmta-announces-opening-schedule-of-central-subway-project
September 22, 2022
(Detroit Free Press) A legislator from the U.P. introduced a bill Wednesday to make the Kirtland's warbler our state bird.
I vote yes.
Technically, of course, I don't get to vote. But HB 6382 has my full-throated support, which, if I were a Kirtland's warbler, would sound like this:
Chip-chip-chip-che-wee-wee!
The call captivated state Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, when he was a medic with the 107th Engineer Battalion of the Michigan Army National Guard, training at Camp Grayling amid the Kirtland's warbler's precise habitat. Years later, with co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, he hopes to make the much-admired warbler our official avian ambassador. ..........(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/2022/09/21/kirtlands-warbler-michigan-state-bird-robin/69507701007/
Kirtland's warbler could become Michigan's new state bird, giving robin the boot
(Detroit Free Press) A legislator from the U.P. introduced a bill Wednesday to make the Kirtland's warbler our state bird.
I vote yes.
Technically, of course, I don't get to vote. But HB 6382 has my full-throated support, which, if I were a Kirtland's warbler, would sound like this:
Chip-chip-chip-che-wee-wee!
The call captivated state Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, when he was a medic with the 107th Engineer Battalion of the Michigan Army National Guard, training at Camp Grayling amid the Kirtland's warbler's precise habitat. Years later, with co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, he hopes to make the much-admired warbler our official avian ambassador. ..........(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/2022/09/21/kirtlands-warbler-michigan-state-bird-robin/69507701007/
September 22, 2022
It's a scary time in America — but know this: Donald Trump is finished
As Trump goes full QAnon and his fellow Republicans turn to ever greater cruelty, there are real signs of hope
By BRIAN KAREM
Columnist
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 9:19AM (EDT)
(Salon) UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the first post-pandemic meeting of the General Assembly in New York this week warning that the world is in a dangerous place: more divided than ever, teetering on the edge of totalitarianism due to economic inequity and facing a mountain of problems due to climate change. "Divides are growing deeper. Inequalities are growing wider," he said. "And challenges are spreading farther."
We all know the source of the great divide in the United States: former President Donald Trump. He's the large rock thrown into the world's political ocean, causing tsunamis and ripple effects that can tear nations asunder.
God bless his pointed, dyed and empty head, he's still hard at it. A few days earlier, Trump held a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, before his faithful QAnon followers in a half-empty arena. They raised a one-finger salute to him at such an angle that for many it invited comparison to the Nazi salute. To me it looked more like something from a Three Stooges skit. And no, it wasn't "that" finger.
Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene was accused of kicking child activists, Matt Gaetz was reported to have sought a preemptive pardon for sex-crime charges he has yet to face and Ron DeSantis and his Texas confederate, Greg Abbott, are using asylum seekers as pawns, shipping them off to Northern cities like a pair of human traffickers in training. All of this highlights the growing sense that we are two nations, instead of the United States, while also showing the world how regressive, hateful and fear-mongering the Republicans have become.
....(snip)....
But let's take some time to understand what we're actually seeing this week: It's the end of Donald Trump, the death throes of an anachronistic political party and the destruction of authoritarianism (if we choose) on a global scale.
Sure, it's frightening to see Donald Trump sucking up to QAnon supporters while continuing to beg for money in the dozens of daily emails sent out to his supporters. Those QAnon folks are batshit nuts. But if they're your core supporters, you're cooked. National polls show Trump's post-presidential popularity continuing to fade. Are those QAnon supporters violent? Sure, some are. But can Trump move the mainstream like he did in 2016? Not a chance. He's supported by a continually dwindling number of malcontents, morons and mavens of autocracy. He's losing his mojo. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/22/its-a-scary-time-in-america--but-know-this-donald-is-finished/
It's a scary time in America -- but know this: Donald Trump is finished
It's a scary time in America — but know this: Donald Trump is finished
As Trump goes full QAnon and his fellow Republicans turn to ever greater cruelty, there are real signs of hope
By BRIAN KAREM
Columnist
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 9:19AM (EDT)
(Salon) UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the first post-pandemic meeting of the General Assembly in New York this week warning that the world is in a dangerous place: more divided than ever, teetering on the edge of totalitarianism due to economic inequity and facing a mountain of problems due to climate change. "Divides are growing deeper. Inequalities are growing wider," he said. "And challenges are spreading farther."
We all know the source of the great divide in the United States: former President Donald Trump. He's the large rock thrown into the world's political ocean, causing tsunamis and ripple effects that can tear nations asunder.
God bless his pointed, dyed and empty head, he's still hard at it. A few days earlier, Trump held a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, before his faithful QAnon followers in a half-empty arena. They raised a one-finger salute to him at such an angle that for many it invited comparison to the Nazi salute. To me it looked more like something from a Three Stooges skit. And no, it wasn't "that" finger.
Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene was accused of kicking child activists, Matt Gaetz was reported to have sought a preemptive pardon for sex-crime charges he has yet to face and Ron DeSantis and his Texas confederate, Greg Abbott, are using asylum seekers as pawns, shipping them off to Northern cities like a pair of human traffickers in training. All of this highlights the growing sense that we are two nations, instead of the United States, while also showing the world how regressive, hateful and fear-mongering the Republicans have become.
....(snip)....
But let's take some time to understand what we're actually seeing this week: It's the end of Donald Trump, the death throes of an anachronistic political party and the destruction of authoritarianism (if we choose) on a global scale.
Sure, it's frightening to see Donald Trump sucking up to QAnon supporters while continuing to beg for money in the dozens of daily emails sent out to his supporters. Those QAnon folks are batshit nuts. But if they're your core supporters, you're cooked. National polls show Trump's post-presidential popularity continuing to fade. Are those QAnon supporters violent? Sure, some are. But can Trump move the mainstream like he did in 2016? Not a chance. He's supported by a continually dwindling number of malcontents, morons and mavens of autocracy. He's losing his mojo. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/22/its-a-scary-time-in-america--but-know-this-donald-is-finished/
September 22, 2022
All proceeds from the concert will be dedicated to humanitarian relief for displaced Ukrainians
By Jim McFarlin on Wed, Sep 21, 2022 at 4:00 am
(Detroit Metro Times) The blue-and-yellow flags have been folded and put away, for the most part. When Vladimir Putin shocked the world by invading the independent nation of Ukraine on Feb. 24, outrage and anger erupted like bile in the mouths of millions. Americans rallied to the cause with fundraising, supplies, and a host of other humanitarian efforts to aid the besieged Ukrainians. The country’s flag seemed to be waving wherever you turned.
But now that the Russian president’s plans for overnight conquest have dragged into their seventh month as Putin grossly underestimated Ukraine’s resolve, it is our nature to shift focus to the next big talking point. Inflation. The Queen. Immigrant bus tours to Martha’s Vineyard.
Easy for us. But what if you’re 21-year-old dancer Danyil Podhrushko, performing with the Kyiv City Ballet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Music Hall Center, displaced from your native land since the onslaught began and anguishing every day over the safety and health of your family and friends? Imagine being 21 years old, a stranger in a strange land, wondering when — or if — you can ever go home again?
“I am very upset,” Danyil says, speaking through an interpreter. “I don’t understand how something like this can be happening in the 21st century. I am so sad that my family and friends, as well as other Ukrainians, are suffering as a result of this war.” ..........(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/stranded-while-the-war-in-ukraine-drags-on-the-kyiv-city-ballet-raises-funds-with-performance-at-detroits-music-hall-31133408
Stranded while war in Ukraine drags on, Kyiv City Ballet raises funds with performance at Detroit's
Stranded while war in Ukraine drags on, Kyiv City Ballet raises funds with performance at Detroit’s Music HallAll proceeds from the concert will be dedicated to humanitarian relief for displaced Ukrainians
By Jim McFarlin on Wed, Sep 21, 2022 at 4:00 am
(Detroit Metro Times) The blue-and-yellow flags have been folded and put away, for the most part. When Vladimir Putin shocked the world by invading the independent nation of Ukraine on Feb. 24, outrage and anger erupted like bile in the mouths of millions. Americans rallied to the cause with fundraising, supplies, and a host of other humanitarian efforts to aid the besieged Ukrainians. The country’s flag seemed to be waving wherever you turned.
But now that the Russian president’s plans for overnight conquest have dragged into their seventh month as Putin grossly underestimated Ukraine’s resolve, it is our nature to shift focus to the next big talking point. Inflation. The Queen. Immigrant bus tours to Martha’s Vineyard.
Easy for us. But what if you’re 21-year-old dancer Danyil Podhrushko, performing with the Kyiv City Ballet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Music Hall Center, displaced from your native land since the onslaught began and anguishing every day over the safety and health of your family and friends? Imagine being 21 years old, a stranger in a strange land, wondering when — or if — you can ever go home again?
“I am very upset,” Danyil says, speaking through an interpreter. “I don’t understand how something like this can be happening in the 21st century. I am so sad that my family and friends, as well as other Ukrainians, are suffering as a result of this war.” ..........(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/stranded-while-the-war-in-ukraine-drags-on-the-kyiv-city-ballet-raises-funds-with-performance-at-detroits-music-hall-31133408
September 22, 2022
Letitia James Beat Trump at His Own Game
Unfortunately for the former president, the attorney general seems to have the goods to back up her case.
BY CHRISTINA CAUTERUCCI
SEPT 21, 20224:53 PM
(Slate) The civil lawsuit New York Attorney General Letitia James filed against Donald Trump and three of his kids is not exactly clickbait. The filing is 229 pages long. As is typical of descriptions of corporate fraud, you have to understand a bit of business stuff to fully grasp what’s going on—and even if you do, the upshot can want for drama. The gist of the James allegations, as she phrased it in a press conference on Wednesday morning, is that Trump “intentionally misvalued his assets for the purposes of increasing his net worth and inducing banks to offer more favorable terms.”
Snoozefest! I mean, I’m kidding—fraud is despicable and damaging, this particular fraud is so outlandish as to be absurd, and Trump and his kids (except Tiffany, who had the luck of being mercilessly excluded from the family business) are some of the most notorious consequence evaders on the planet. So yes, James was going to have the world’s eyeballs on her announcement. But she’s not the type to take that attention for granted. She wanted to deliver a slam-dunk. So, to amp up the emotional stakes of a series of rather dry-sounding crimes whose most direct victim, Deutsche Bank, is one of the least sympathetic entities in the history of entities—and to emphasize the magnitude of her role despite her lack of authority to file criminal charges in this case—James had to sell it for all she’s worth.
At her Wednesday reveal, she did just that. It was a theatrical performance, delivered with righteous indignance and milked for every available ounce of disdain. Even though James was undoubtedly combusting with glee on the inside as she enumerated the findings of her long-gestating investigation against the Trump family, and will probably pop open a bottle of Dom tonight as she answers a zillion congratulatory text messages, she executed her speech with the sober, saddened affect of a public official who, over the course of the investigation, was devastated anew by each revelation of Trump’s alleged misconduct.
The result is a thing of beauty. I’m not sure a prosecutor has ever made better use of the dramatic pause: As James explained on Wednesday, her office found evidence of Trump himself “engaging in a conspiracy to commit each. Of these. State. Law. Violations.” He listed a set of apartments at “Forty. Nine. Million. Dollars. That is about Sixty. Five. Times. The appraised valuation.” I can’t say I know exactly how an appraised valuation comes to be, or what substantive impact that would have on Trump’s financial situation, or who exactly was harmed by his lies, but when. It’s. Phrased. Like. This, I am incensed by the mere suggestion of such deceit! ...............(more)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/09/letitia-james-beat-trump-showmanship-new-york.html
Letitia James Beat Trump at His Own Game
Letitia James Beat Trump at His Own Game
Unfortunately for the former president, the attorney general seems to have the goods to back up her case.
BY CHRISTINA CAUTERUCCI
SEPT 21, 20224:53 PM
(Slate) The civil lawsuit New York Attorney General Letitia James filed against Donald Trump and three of his kids is not exactly clickbait. The filing is 229 pages long. As is typical of descriptions of corporate fraud, you have to understand a bit of business stuff to fully grasp what’s going on—and even if you do, the upshot can want for drama. The gist of the James allegations, as she phrased it in a press conference on Wednesday morning, is that Trump “intentionally misvalued his assets for the purposes of increasing his net worth and inducing banks to offer more favorable terms.”
Snoozefest! I mean, I’m kidding—fraud is despicable and damaging, this particular fraud is so outlandish as to be absurd, and Trump and his kids (except Tiffany, who had the luck of being mercilessly excluded from the family business) are some of the most notorious consequence evaders on the planet. So yes, James was going to have the world’s eyeballs on her announcement. But she’s not the type to take that attention for granted. She wanted to deliver a slam-dunk. So, to amp up the emotional stakes of a series of rather dry-sounding crimes whose most direct victim, Deutsche Bank, is one of the least sympathetic entities in the history of entities—and to emphasize the magnitude of her role despite her lack of authority to file criminal charges in this case—James had to sell it for all she’s worth.
At her Wednesday reveal, she did just that. It was a theatrical performance, delivered with righteous indignance and milked for every available ounce of disdain. Even though James was undoubtedly combusting with glee on the inside as she enumerated the findings of her long-gestating investigation against the Trump family, and will probably pop open a bottle of Dom tonight as she answers a zillion congratulatory text messages, she executed her speech with the sober, saddened affect of a public official who, over the course of the investigation, was devastated anew by each revelation of Trump’s alleged misconduct.
The result is a thing of beauty. I’m not sure a prosecutor has ever made better use of the dramatic pause: As James explained on Wednesday, her office found evidence of Trump himself “engaging in a conspiracy to commit each. Of these. State. Law. Violations.” He listed a set of apartments at “Forty. Nine. Million. Dollars. That is about Sixty. Five. Times. The appraised valuation.” I can’t say I know exactly how an appraised valuation comes to be, or what substantive impact that would have on Trump’s financial situation, or who exactly was harmed by his lies, but when. It’s. Phrased. Like. This, I am incensed by the mere suggestion of such deceit! ...............(more)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/09/letitia-james-beat-trump-showmanship-new-york.html
September 20, 2022
Imagine waking up at the crack of dawn to get out to the woods, hoping you bag the biggest buck of your life.
After a couple hours, you can’t find anything within range, but then you start to feel the damn deer stand begin to shake, and you see something ginormous walking your direction off in the distance…
And sure enough, it’s the biggest alligator you’ve ever seen before in your life. ............(more)
https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2022/09/18/georgia-bowhunter-watches-dinosaur-sized-alligator-plop-down-right-on-top-of-his-corn-pile/
Georgia Bowhunter Watches Huge Alligator Plop Down Right On Top Of His Corn Pile
Imagine waking up at the crack of dawn to get out to the woods, hoping you bag the biggest buck of your life.
After a couple hours, you can’t find anything within range, but then you start to feel the damn deer stand begin to shake, and you see something ginormous walking your direction off in the distance…
And sure enough, it’s the biggest alligator you’ve ever seen before in your life. ............(more)
https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2022/09/18/georgia-bowhunter-watches-dinosaur-sized-alligator-plop-down-right-on-top-of-his-corn-pile/
September 20, 2022
80s hits and nuclear secrets: security concerns plague Trump's Mar-a-Lago
(Guardian UK) At a certain point in an average evening at Mar-a-Lago, the lights go down and the volume goes up, as the proprietor and former president of the United States turns DJ for the night.
A member of the Mar-a-Lago private club said that following a period of withdrawal after his election defeat, Donald Trump has in recent months assumed the role of social ringmaster, deciding to bring a disco vibe to the Palm Beach resort after dark.
“At about 9.30pm every night, he’s sitting at his table, whether on the patio or inside, and they bring a laptop over and he starts picking songs, and he starts being a DJ for the night, but it’s sort of funny because he picks like the same 10 songs every night,” the club member said.
The Trump playlist is of a certain era, when he was a regular clubber in New York. The signature tune is the Village People’s YMCA, alongside The Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston, and a few Elton John numbers.
....(snip)....
What might have otherwise seemed no more than a characteristically bizarre twist for a post-presidential career, looks more significant now that it is known that all the while the lights were low, the music was playing, guests were tipsy and the host was otherwise engaged, there were thousands of government documents, many of them highly sensitive, and at least one of them containing nuclear secrets, being kept illicitly in rooms and closets nearby. And all of this was unfolding in a venue described by former intelligence officials as a priority target for foreign spies.
....(snip)....
“Without any question the former president, and those in his circle will be very important targets for any foreign intelligence service. They will be looking at: how do we get into that circle?” said Douglas London, a 34-year veteran of the CIA’s clandestine service, and author of The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence.
London added: “He’s brought in really questionable people with various skeletons in their closets, financial or personal or political, who have vulnerabilities a foreign intelligence service could exploit.” ...........(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/20/donald-trump-maralago-nuclear-secrets-whitney-houston-security-flaws
September 20, 2022
(Salon) Afight over the future of the most sweeping school voucher program in the country has heated up in Arizona over the last few weeks, as public school advocates race to gather enough signatures to trigger a ballot referendum aimed at overturning a voucher law recently passed by the state's Republican-dominated legislature. The referendum campaign, which faces a crucial deadline this Friday, has drawn intense opposition from Arizona conservatives. This has included funding for multiple anti-referendum websites, roadside protests starring Republican legislators and, over the last two weeks, conflicts between activists both on social media and in the streets.
At the end of June, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law that immediately created the most expansive school privatization plan in the country, opening up a pre-existing program that gave vouchers to several categories of qualified students to any family in the state. The Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) program was first launched in 2011, ostensibly to help high-needs students whose parents had opted out of public school access specialized educational programs with tuition vouchers for private schools, including religious schools, and other educational expenses. In subsequent years, the program was steadily broadened to include other groups — like students in F-rated schools, in foster care, on Native American reservations or in military families — until this spring, when Arizona legislators responded to Ducey's request to "expand school choice any way we can" by opening the ESA option to any student in the state.
Under the new law, any Arizona parent who opts their children out of public school will receive a debit card with an average balance of just under $7,000, which they can use to spend on almost any educational needs they choose, from private school tuition to homeschooling expenses to buying computers to hiring private teachers for "microschools." Public education advocates immediately warned that such a huge transfer of public funds to private hands could be the death knell for public schools, which would likely have to make untenable cuts to teaching staff and school programs. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/20/arizonas-school-privatization-battle-heats-up-will-the-get-to-decide/
Arizona's school privatization battle heats up: Will the voters get to decide?
(Salon) Afight over the future of the most sweeping school voucher program in the country has heated up in Arizona over the last few weeks, as public school advocates race to gather enough signatures to trigger a ballot referendum aimed at overturning a voucher law recently passed by the state's Republican-dominated legislature. The referendum campaign, which faces a crucial deadline this Friday, has drawn intense opposition from Arizona conservatives. This has included funding for multiple anti-referendum websites, roadside protests starring Republican legislators and, over the last two weeks, conflicts between activists both on social media and in the streets.
At the end of June, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law that immediately created the most expansive school privatization plan in the country, opening up a pre-existing program that gave vouchers to several categories of qualified students to any family in the state. The Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) program was first launched in 2011, ostensibly to help high-needs students whose parents had opted out of public school access specialized educational programs with tuition vouchers for private schools, including religious schools, and other educational expenses. In subsequent years, the program was steadily broadened to include other groups — like students in F-rated schools, in foster care, on Native American reservations or in military families — until this spring, when Arizona legislators responded to Ducey's request to "expand school choice any way we can" by opening the ESA option to any student in the state.
Under the new law, any Arizona parent who opts their children out of public school will receive a debit card with an average balance of just under $7,000, which they can use to spend on almost any educational needs they choose, from private school tuition to homeschooling expenses to buying computers to hiring private teachers for "microschools." Public education advocates immediately warned that such a huge transfer of public funds to private hands could be the death knell for public schools, which would likely have to make untenable cuts to teaching staff and school programs. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/20/arizonas-school-privatization-battle-heats-up-will-the-get-to-decide/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 77,073