Alex Jones Verdicted, Nov Election, Walker Badged, Trump Trumped

  • Vixen Strangely at Strangely Blogged goes all out eloquent about Alex Jones, the verdict, the followers, and the enablers. And she does it with genuine style.
     
  • In Letters from an American, Heather Cox Richardson has more on the not quite billion dollar judgement against Alex Jones.
     
    After losing their little kids to a gunman who walked into a school and murdered the children as they sat in a classroom, the parents were subjected to a decade of harassment by followers of Jones.
     
    Parents answering their phones got late night death threats. Mothers were told they would be targeted with rape.
    The children’s burial sites were desecrated, including midnight urination activities.
    One grief stricken father eventually committed suicide.
     
    Experts determined that Jones had made over $100 million broadcasting his conspiracy theories:

    • The shootings were fake. Nobody died.
    • Nobody was shot. The children did not exist.
    • The parents were actors.
    • It was all a plot to promote gun confiscation.

    At trial, Alex admitted he had been somewhat incorrect. However, he shouldn’t be penalized.

    • How was he to know anyone would take his theories seriously enough to actually act on them?
      Why hold him responsible just because a few maniacs reacted to his broadcasts with a bit too much enthusiasm?
    • Besides, the so-called suffering of parents was not all that serious:
      What I think of as the can’t-they-take-a-joke defense.
      No harm, no foul.

    As the trial wound down, he went on brat-casting, making fun of the proceedings.
     
    The jury apparently forgot that Alex Jones is hilarious.
     
    $965 million.

  • No matter what you think of Alex Jones all he did was speak words..
     
    And with that, tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors highlights a Republican Congressional representative with an unusual understanding of the 1st Amendment.
     
  • Andy Borowitz reports as Tucker Carlson warns us that the billion dollar judgement against Alex Jones will have a chilling effect on lying.
     
  • Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson writes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel why he simply cannot bring himself to vote Republican this year, and gets a an important endorsement himself:

  • Ted McLaughlin at jobsanger has a quick and reliable guide on how to look inside and decide how to vote in a couple weeks.

  • Infidel753 explains what Republicans say they will do if and when they take over the House after the election in a couple weeks. The debt ceiling vote will come up, which means they can, among other things, blackmail the country into significantly weakening Social Security.
     
  • Dave Columbo debates his inner Republican:

  • CalicoJack in The Psy of Life sees the Republican party veering dangerously toward sectarian and racist violence.
     
  • driftglass pinches hard the earlobe of Mitt Romney and warns about the Republican tendency to briefly forget their commitment to harsh policies as elections near.
     
  • YellowDog Granny has helpful personal advice about Dr. Oz, Donald Trump, and Matt Gaetz.
     
  • At The Moderate Voice, Don Hermann has a list of simple questions for US Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Mostly sixth grade level, but appropriate.
     
  • In Hackwhackers we find a few unkind thoughts about Herschel Walker.
     
  • In last night’s Senatorial debate in Georgia, Herschel Walker pulled out an honorary badge to prove he had once been a law enforcement officer. Cato Institute’sJulian Sanchez Is unimpressed:


    So am I:

  • Max’s Dad is often a little frustrated by politics in Nebraska. District 2 usually elects Republicans for the House of Representatives. But not always. And this year seems perpetually close.
     
    The Republican campaign keep plumbing the lower depths for a dirtier campaign, but nothing has seemed to work. Now they are headed to deeper depths.
     
    Now Bacon has gone full the blacks and brown are gonna kill your wife and impregnate your daughters if you vote for Tony Vargas.
     
    Gives you an idea.
     
  • At The Onion, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson shows he is tough on crime by personally hanging a bread thief in a town square.
     
  • The Propaganda Professor has the receipts with multiple examples as right wing fantasies, running counter to documented truth, still survive and spread. He points to a willing ally, as mainstream media prefers hazy balance to the thankless work of fact-finding.
     
    It isn’t really a recent issue. I came across a piece I wrote about the Biden/Ryan VP debate in 2012 and press accounts.
     
  • Donald Trump has responded in a 14 page letter to a subpoena by the January 6 Committee.
     
    It has been described by surprised observers in varying terms that describe the jumbled ravings of a lunatic.
     
    I saw it as the late night ramblings of an angry mind operating on too little sleep.
     
    It seemed almost Shakespearean to me in a sense. I think of Macbeth hearing horrible news.
     
    My image of Trump, the writer, did fit the description of a
    walking shadow, a poor player
    That struts and frets his hour upon the stage…

     
    And his 14 pages of deranged incoherence:
    It is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
    Signifying nothing.

     
    News Corpse has read it through, and provides a summary.
     
  • Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit offers the entire uncondensed Supreme Court opinion on classified documents as Mr. Trump loses another one.
    It is not a long opinion.
    No, neither he nor his lawyers can have access to the documents marked as classified.
     
  • When the going gets deadly. Pelosi gets very tough. Tommy Christopher has the video as Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi get more than a little firm with Trump Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen as the Trump lynch mob rages in frustration at not finding those they want to assassinate.
     
  • The Palmer Report has learned something about January 6, and democracy, and courage from the hearings. But also that an old adage has truth to it: the enemy of our enemy is our friend.
     
  • Lawmakers are getting more and more death threats. Senator Susan Collins is very concerned at the possibility of someone getting killed. M. Bouffant at Web of Evil seems unimpressed with the concern expressed by Senator Susan Collins.
     
  • Nan’s Notebook has some thoughts about the thoughts of Tulsi Gabbard as she leaves the Democratic Party.
     
  • North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz has a pointed suggestion about Kanye’s behavior: stop blaming mental illness for his dangerous prejudices.
     
  • PZ Myers debunks a series of what are loosely referred to as studies by a professor that, in my day, we would have called racially conservative. In one, he surveyed the grades he assigned to students in an introductory class, compared the grades to complexion, and published a paper suggesting White people are genetically superior to everyone else. His research is occasionally quoted on virulently racist sites.
     
    Professor Myers is encouraged that the offender was eventually fired, but is not exactly gleeful. It was not racist bias that got him canned, but rather that he broke an arcane rule and accessed a forbidden database.
     
  • Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo of Rewire News Group talk law in an entertaining video format. It seems Alabama wants SCOTUS to more completely eviscerate voting rights, and allow discriminatory gerrymandering that is prohibited right now. New Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson started her first week ripping apart their arguments.
     
  • Libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara contrasts NJ Governor Phil Murphy’s condemnation of Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman for hurting American families with his advocacy of weaning those same families from fossil fuels. Michael points out the hypocrisy of it all.
     
    Does this really need explaining?
     
    I have no idea whether Michael was breastfed as an infant. I believe I can say that with some confidence:

    1. His mom must have recognized the importance of eventually transitioning him to solid food.
    2. She did not suddenly starve him in order to accomplish that.
    3. What Michael may later have seen as a contradiction was not, in fact, proof of her hypocrisy.

     
    To summarize Michael’s argument: Gahhhh!
     

  • Green Eagle chooses one right wing fantasy to track. This one is about evil fanatic FEMA agents who won’t back off from robbing flood victims until one is shot dead by good guys who intervene.
     
    Anyone who can guess whether there is the slightest truth to the tale gets a free trip around the house.
     
  • Here we go again. Scotties Playtime takes a look at the bogus controversy over non-existent schools providing non-existent litterboxes for non-existent kids identifying as cats.
     
  • My long time friend, Darrell Michaels is back again, explaining why it is the sacred duty of Catholics to use government to force non-Catholics to obey church teachings on abortions.
     
    Since Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden will not do that, they are not good Catholics.
     
    But Darrell is charitable in his condemnation. They may be bad Catholics, but they are still Catholics.
     
    Very good of him.
     
  • In The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser, atheist Bruce is accused of an unethical smearing of Christianity for his occasional series on heinous crimes committed by clergy.
     
    Bruce responds that, important as it is to hold to account guilty individuals, it is as important to hold churches responsible when they conceal crimes.
     
    As a Christian, I’m okay with that.
     
  • John Scalzi at Whatever really, really likes WordPress. He really does.
     
  • In Happiness Between Tails da-AL always found James Joyce kind of a chore to read, until someone discovered enough old letters, tucked away in an old garment, to publish in book form. They were written to his beloved wife. Apparently he had a special talent fairly explicit eroticism. And the discovery has the additional virtue of being an easy read.
     
  • @whiskeywhistle98 unexpectedly discovers she is especially attractive because she is a mom:
    @whiskeywhistle98 #stitch with @jay_chama Thank you….#tiktokmom #EndlessJourney #hot #hotmomgoals #kids #fyp #foryourpage #morning #coffee ♬ original sound – @Whiskeywhistle98-

  • Reductress has a wonderful clickbait story about a cute mother and daughter relationship – they happen to have matching mental illnesses.
     
  • SilverAppleQueen has cats getting ready for a long winter.
     

A few tweets I thought worthy:




Note: Worth watching:



















And I’m allowed a few of my own:











































– Podcasts –
 

8 thoughts on “Alex Jones Verdicted, Nov Election, Walker Badged, Trump Trumped”

  1. Welcome back! I hope you’re feeling better.

    Alex Jones is an abomination. I can’t think of anything lower than orchestrating a campaign of harassment against people whose children have been murdered.

    As disgusted as Lincoln would be by Palin and Trump, I think he’d be even more baffled by the fact that his party has become the stronghold of those who wave Confederate flags.

  2. I am heartened to see my long-time friend Burr back at it again. I can only assume that he is still not back up to 100% as his characterization on my most recent blog post was not entirely accurate — or not at all accurate. While these type of miss-characterized summations do happen on occasion, I typically don’t go through the headache of rebutting them. I figured that there are increasingly few fair-minded liberals that would appreciate the truth being set straight, while the hyper-partisan leftists would choose to believe the erroneous and less charitable versions shared regardless.

    For truth’s sake, my article was about how various organizations often set their own rules and by-laws in order to be a member in good standing thereof. The Catholic Church is one such group. Politicians such as Biden and Pelosi who claim to be “devout” in their Catholicity bring scandal to the Church by obstinately and vociferously speaking out against a core tenet of that faith by their steadfast support of abortion. My point was that if they wish to honestly call themselves Catholics, then they should abide by the Church’s teachings.

    I don’t support a theocracy for America. I simply expect politicians that claim to be Catholics to act accordingly or otherwise refrain from publicly claiming the mantle of that faith.

    I appreciate Burr’s opportunity to clarify and set the record straight. Best wishes to you, my friend, Mr. Deming, and I hope you do get back up to 100% in short order!

    1. Thank you Darrell

      Before responding, I will point out that our friendship is quite genuine.

      Just one example of your many kindnesses:
      I remain grateful for your words of support years ago when our young Marine was suddenly out of contact in Afghanistan for an unexpectedly long time as we heard that his base had been attacked.

      In this instance, your reasoning seems obscure. I resort to analogy to explain.

      Let us assume that you and I belong to the Church of Whatever. A tenet of our faith, held by all Whateverites, is that it is a mortal sin to blaspheme, even to the extent of saying “Gosh Darn It” out loud.

      I hear that you, as my Congressional Representative, do not support the enactment of GoshDarn laws that would imprison blasphemers. You view blasphemy as a private matter between each individual and their God.

      Refusing to make and enforce a GoshDarn law makes you a bad Whateverite.

      I’m certainly not for a theocracy, and it is unfair of you to say or even imply that I am. I just favor laws enforcing on everyone the rules that are specific to our faith and to similar faiths.

      Darrell, we don’t really need to resort to analogy. If you wish, you can consider Blue Laws that are still occasionally enforced in some localities. It was once illegal here in Missouri to work or shop on Sundays. I do recall some wit remarking that those enforcing that law were also breaking it.

  3. Burr, I would concur that our friendship is quite genuine. I still pray for your Marine specifically and all of those that put themselves in harm’s way to defend our nation, generally, quite often. You can also count on prayers from me over your past accident and various afflictions over the years.

    Now that I have paid homage to our friendship, let me add to your wonderful analogy.

    It is one thing to be a member of the Church of Whatever, and perhaps disagreeing with one of the tenets of that sacred faith privately. It is quite another for a Whateverite to actively campaign and give “moral”, as well as taxpayer support towards issues that are an anathema to the Church of Whatever, my friend. Therein lies the distinction I was attempting to make.

    I do hope all is well for you and yours, especially for your Marine.

  4. Since Darrell won’t tolerate my views at his blog, I’ll just make an observation or two here.

    Pro-choice is NOT pro-abortion. He sees no difference. Forced abortion is pro-abortion. Choice is the opposite of forced. Forced fatal ectopic pregnancies are never “pro-life”.

    It is not a tenet of the Church that members must criminalize and punish women for personal medical decisions. And of course, Jesus never even mentioned abortion.

    And yes, he’s objecting to Biden not enforcing his religion on the nation. He loves to invoke our founders when it’s convenient for his bias, but ignores them when they don’t conform to his beliefs.
    Our government is NOT his church.

    He ignores his Pope’s admonitions of Trump’s unchristian behavior. In fact Darrell would still vote for the man who PRAISED his thugs after they terrorized Congress and beat cops bloody in his Putsch for Power.

    He will still lecture us on “values”, of course.

    The Pope himself never denounced Biden on abortion, despite conservative calls to deny him the sacrament.

    On June 21, 2021, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a Q&A excising past mention of Biden, a national policy or a focus on abortion.

    “There will be no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians. The intent is to present a clear understanding of the Church’s teachings to bring heightened awareness among the faithful of how the Eucharist can transform our lives and bring us closer to our creator and the life he wants for us.”

    Darrell cares little about the worshipers of mammon buying the Republican Party and Supreme Court. He selectively ignores Catholic politicians who dare not oppose capital punishment.

    I’m sure he’ll be just as avid in condemning the Koch/ALEC money grubbers who corrupt our government, and conservative Catholic politicians who support the death penalty.

    Right?

  5. When I stated previously, ” I figured that there are increasingly few fair-minded liberals that would appreciate the truth being set straight, while the hyper-partisan leftists would choose to believe the erroneous and less charitable versions shared regardless” it was leftists like our friend Mr. Dubya that fell into that latter category.

    Mr. Dubya has repeatedly claimed to anyone that will listen that he is no longer welcome at my blog because I cannot tolerate or refute his ideas. Nothing can be further from the truth, as a simple perusing of the years of past commentary on my site from both of us will demonstrate. He was banned because he cannot play nicely with others. Anyone not full-throatedly denouncing conservativism and championing leftist causes is automatically branded as an authoritarian, Nazi, or racist either implicitly or explicitly by him, including some members that had attempted to debate in good faith. (Myself included.) That is why I typically let Mr. Dubya cut and paste his long diatribes of accusations on other’s blogs without my rebuttal. Those that care to know the truth can read what I wrote and read what he wrote and decide accordingly. It does no service to anyone to attempt to debate leftists of such a caliber otherwise. No minds will be opened, let alone changed to do so. Acrimony and further division is the only rotten fruits that comes from that tree.

    Que Mr. Dubya’s long and soon forthcoming diatribe in response. I’ll let him have the last word and move on to more productive things.

    1. Diatribe: a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.

      Having been told I’m an “America-hating leftist and racist commie”, I suppose Darrell will see these evidence-supported remarks as a diatribe.

      Evidence:

      Darrell’s “standards” include him implying I’m a “Leftist who hates America” and allowing his friend to call me a “racist commie”.

      Darrell’s “standards” are quite flexible when it comes to Trump, his Big Lie, his coup, and his cult. He would reject all my requests for evidence that Trump won. I’m sure this is still the case.

      This is what Darrell wrote at my blog on Jan 8, 2021:

      “Dave, Trump was wrong to give encouragement and a wink and a nod to the protestors and delaying any attempt to rein them back. He was complicit. Sadly this ego maniacal narcissist tarnished the myriad of good things he has done for our country with this latest escapade.”

      This is what Darrell wrote on May 15, 2021: “Trump instigates a riot according to the left and the media, but then I repeat myself. (He didn’t.)”

      Conclusion based on evidence and reason:

      Darrell flipped from understanding Trump’s responsibility for 1/6 to blaming the “America-hating leftists” and “enemy of the people” – for agreeing with his initial response, no less.

      There’s no acceptable excuse he should ignore Trump’s watching his violent mob for 3 hours on TV without any word against their actions. But he has to ignore that, along with Trump’s praise for his thugs by saying, “You’re very special. We love you.” Otherwise he may see Trump WANTED them to succeed.

      And he wonders why someone would see him as a radical Right authoritarian personality. A closed mind reveals a cold heart.

      I pray the dark cloud of Trumpism’s seething hate and willful blindness will lift from his eyes.

      I hope he will discover his loyalty to Trump is a betrayal of our democratic republic and proud history of peaceful transition of power.

      I could accuse him of “hating America”, like he has portrayed my views, but I won’t go that low to attack a victim of deceit. Even a willing victim.

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