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It isn't the federal government alone that is on-board with quashing any and all dissent. Because of my political posts on YouTube, I have had my posting privileges suspended. It's okay for the Righties to say anything they want against anything remotely liberal, but if a liberal returns the volley, they get shot down. I can watch the videos, but I can't comment because the "post" button greys out. I guess fact-based truth hurts too much and YouTube is having none of it. Democracy is but a dream the founding fathers once had. Franklin said, "We've given them a republic, now lets see if they can hold onto it," (paraphrase). Well, democracy died on January 20, 2017, when the Republicans took over. (I always knew they were lying when they said they welcomed "competition"; their love of monopolization is too self-evident.) Sessions said they were going to fill up the prisons. I wonder when they are going to suspend our electoral processes, too.
What spawned some of these proposed laws were incidents like what happened in Minnesota where BLM protesters decided it was wise to run out onto a interstate highway and throw chunks of concrete down on cars below. These actions were repeated a few days later during a rush hour morning.
Peaceful protesting is one thing, rioting, destroying property, or blocking interstate freeeways and endangering commuters lives is totally another.
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How’s this for a Trumpian theme-song?
In my youth’s 1940s we Cub Scouts sang this ditty:
TRUMPIANS’ THEME SONG {in limerick-cadence}
“It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie.
You know darn well it’s a lie.
But pardon us, please,
while we’re shooting the breeze
with lie after lie after lie.”
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WAFFLING in OFFAL {a rhyme}
The Stench!! It’s like Offal,
so Dad-gum’ Awful!!
- and Much of the Trump-stuff’s unLawful!!
- yet Pols quite IMpotently Waffle.
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STUPID? or CRAFTY? {a limerick and a coda}
Of Trumpismo let’s be suspicious.
Their doings are quite inauspicious;
often they err.
We wonder if they’re
just Incompetent? - or downright Malicious?
… Coda: - or Both?
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THE DEVOLUTION TOWARD TRUMP {images}
https://nonsmokingladybug.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/trump-cartoon-6.jpg
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http://starecat.com/content/wp-content/uploads/drowning-survivor-monkey-hiena-donald-trump-comparison.jpg
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These specifications and designs include different sub base construction, installation of sports floodlighting and fencing, location, type and level of sport to be played and game line marking...
www.sportsandsafetysurfaces.co.uk/blog/external-synthetic-artificial-sport-surfacing/how-much-does-an-all-weather-pitch-cost
Authoritarians love those "Catch 22" gotchas.
Also, in many states, if you end up in jail for protesting, convicted of a bullshit "crime," when you get out, you're an ex-con and lose your right to vote for life.
Statistically, there's a greater percentage of ex-cons who would vote Democratic, so it's just one more way to disenfranchise citizens to swing elections toward the "law and order" fascist party.
Having been to anti Vietnam Protests in the 60's, I became aware of this. If you have virtually any type of Government security clearance you are required to report any arrest. If you do not report the arrest you are fired when they find out. If you report the arrest you automatically lose the clearance and will most likely be fired because of that. Only when you are cleared of all charges can you be reinstated and that is unlikely.
You still didn't get this right, Kend.
Let's say a friend texts you about joining a peaceful protest on such and such day, and you agree. When it's time to go, you are sick with the flu and stay home.
During the protest, random hoodlums or anarchists or agent provocateurs with black face masks infiltrate the group, break a few windows, and get away before the cops can nab them. Under this proposed Arizona law, the cops can now arrest the thousand protesters who did nothing wrong, according to our Constitution anyway, and confiscate their property, including the cell phone of your friend.
They find the text where you originally agreed to join the protest. The cops knock on your door, arrest you for conspiracy, confiscate your home, your car, your bank account, and throw you into jail.
Of course, since you are a right-winger and think Americans are too sue-happy, you don't bother getting a lawyer, and your life is ruined for merely attempting to exercise your right to peacefully protest and redress the government for grievance.
Now, do you think you'll ever do such a stupid thing again? Absolutely not; it ain't worth it! And you probably won't have anything to do with your friend either.
See, Kend, that's how fascism works.
"They operated in secret and usually under the cover of darkness." Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty would have laughed in Sonny Borrelli's face.
They risked their lives and homes for liberty, not for a future Fascist government run by self puffed and out of control billionaires.
They wouldn't be timid, polite, and cower in a never ending defensive mode.
They would never, no way in hell, accept the results of an election that included voter suppression, cross-check fraud, digital voting machine fraud, and collusion with a hostile foreign power to influence the outcome of that election.
They would be outraged and their resistance would have had no limits.
Let Crooked Donny and his Fascists make all the silly protest laws they want....their fraudulent election wasn't playing by the rules, so why in hell should the resistance movement play by rules imposed by an arbitrary power.
Once again, Trump's cabinet picks betray his intent...thus there is zero room for compromise. Resist at all cost.
Just a note, regarding the caller who claimed that Tucker Carlson got the better of Bill Nye. Thinking that strange, I caught the segment online this afternoon and found that the actual scenario was the opposite of the caller's claim.
So let me get this right. You are mad because your government wants to enforce a law that makes a group people accountable for damaging someone else property. Seems perfectly fine to me. Want is wrong with you people?
There once was a man who thought he had a plan, he said "I think I can" and proceeded to do just that...the canning of America. I wonder what our shelf-life will be...
Any time!
:--))
So, how soon will it be a crime to NOT be a member of the Republican party, i.e. the ruling party. It happened in Germany, it's going to happen here. Already, Ohio is considering legislation requiring teachers to report their political affiliation.
This country isn't simply slipping down hill, it's rocketing down hill at warp speed.
R.I.P. America.
Don't blame the 99% of peaceful protesters for the violence of the stupid 1%. That's just a swamp-wing talking point with no merit.
Speaking of criminals, here's some fake news that should be real news ...in a real democracy:
BREAKING NEWS ALERT:
"Jason Chaffetz, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, plans on holding endless hearings to get to the bottom of the email scandal involving Michael Flynn and other Trump campaign officials who were in constant contact with the Russians in an attempt to undermine the most important institution of our nation.
"In related news, Paul Ryan has commissioned Trey Gowdy to restart the House Select Committee on Benghazi, rename it the House Select Committee on Yakla -- a small village in the Quifah district of Al Bayda Province in central Yemen.
Yakla Village will soon become a household name, repeatedly reminding shocked Americans where, on January 29, 2017, Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer, William Owens was killed and three other team members were wounded, and up to 25 civilians, including 8 women and 9 children, were slaughtered in a failed Special Operations Forces raid.
Evidently, it was authorized in haste without proper planning by a fake president wanting to boost his ratings while having dinner with his son-in-law and a conspiracy-theory nut, washed-up general. Inside leaks from the White House revealed that Trump didn't even bother going to the situation room while the raid was taking place, preferring instead to spend hours in front of the mirror combing his hair.
It has also been reported from Capital Hill that of more concern to conservative fiscal hawks than the lives, was the destruction of a seventy million dollar V-22 Osprey aircraft. Outrageous! More domestic programs will now have to be cut to make up for such a tragic loss.
"Republicans expect to spend tens of millions of taxpayers dollars on years of investigations of this travesty. At least seven different congressional committees will be involved: the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Armed Services, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on the Judiciary, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Back to regular programming ...Trump plans another weekend playing golf at Mar-a-Lago, costing the taxpayers another ten million."
Where was that lightly patrolled Canadian border crossing again....?
What definition of democracy says if you are pissed off
with the election results, then you go to the streets and smash stuff?
Where in the law is the concept of accepting "just a little violence"?
ct
@#17
Thank you for making it another Christmas morning.
In the early twentieth century, before Fox Faux News and the Republican bread-and-circus clown show, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey put on "The Greatest Show on Earth." Now, F*ckface Von Clownstick & Co plays to an audience of wingnuts dumber than a bag of square marbles who find their relaxation and enjoyment in nothing more inspiring than a cheesy lounge-lizard act.
"Fake news" is the drool dripping off the orange clown's puffy slack jowls every moment of every day. "Corporate news" is the spittoon from which dumb-downed Americans gladly slurp and which headlined this fool all through the primary and the general election seasons with two billion dollars of free face time -- a mugshot that makes babies cry and mothers vomit.
Let's have fun with quotes:
"I don't care what the newspapers say about me as long as they spell my name right."
"There's no such thing as bad publicity."
“No publicity is bad publicity”
"There's a sucker born every minute."
This is not about Thom, or liberals, or even the media; it is about a "so-called" president who constantly lies to the people, which makes him -- not the media -- the "enemy of the people!" And, it's about the so-called patriotic Americans dumb enough to believe him.
Al Franken sooo needs to write a sequel to his 2003 book, "Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them."
The Cheeto Benito shit show broke the all-time record with 100 lies in 36 days:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-administration-lies-100_us_58ac7a0fe4b02a1e7dac3ca6
http://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2017/feb/18/donald-trump-first-month-of-lies-video
Thom: It is a bit hard to understand what your point is. Prior to Nov. 20, 2016 you were ranting daily that the “conservative corporate media” was totally biased toward candidate Trump while mostly ignoring Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
Post Nov. 20, 2016 you would be very hard pressed to find any positive stories favoring President Trump or his policies on any of the daily non soap television shows between 6:00 AM- 11:00 PM, Fox being the only exception. (Which may be your clue as to why Fox is so popular)
Now, if President Trump is getting all this free positive media coverage, why would he publicly call them out for the jackals they are and secondly, even you will have to admit that it is in progressives best interest to sit back and cheer at the horrible relationship between President Trump and the “conservative corporate media” as you call them.
Seems to me that your personal agenda is best served if you just relax and enjoy the show.
The Trump carnival is a distraction that many people see through, including some domestic and international news outlets.
This shift to authoritarianism is an attack on American democracy by the GOP, not just the Trump gang of punks.
This all spells the need to break the GOP's hold on American politics. Its also time to dismantle the bi-polar political cycle, by which we have Republican presidents take power, go to war and empty the treasury, with little regard to environmental consequences, and then a Demicrat in the White House that tries to implement economic recovery and environmental protection. This flip flopping is a total ease of resources. Education, civil rights, scientific research, healthcare, economic growth, international relations, environmental protections and wildlife sanctuaries all suffer. It's time to change the system for real.
To do all this requires political engineering, driven by popular demand. If enough Americans leave their bubble of comfortable lives to resist shifts to Authoritarianism and create a new political order, this can happen. If not (the more likely scenario), things will get worse and worse until an impoverished population will reach a breaking point and rebel. The result of this whole process will likely be the dismantling of the United States.
Watch congress - Drumpf threatened to have laws passed (like the British) to allow public officials to sue publications (newspapers or TV) for "slander" - which would be a loss of the First Amendment.
Watch Supreme Court - load of cases lined up to pop the minute the rightwing judge is sworn in.
Watch gerimandered voting districts - changes too slow to make a difference in next elections. Get done now!
Lots of work to do.
Yes, I think you're right. This is an opportunity to engage the investigative reporters in a chance of a lifetime. Time for the questions to teach the values supporting democracy. Encourage the leaks and have TEACH-INs again. We are not a nation of dummies. We know right from wrong. Stand up and be strong! Resist! Renew!