Friday, September 24, 2021

Arizona Audit Finds More Votes For Biden! The Big Lie Loses

An extension of the Big Lie in Arizona suffered a serious setback after a draft of the sham audit was revealed yesterday.

In what has to be described as poetic justice the review found more votes for Biden. The exact opposite of what the schemers behind the audit expected.

Despite the findings that are being released today, this seed of sedition has inspired other red states to consider sham audits too.

States on the verge of fake audits like Texas, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, were inspired by the six month partisan effort in Arizona to discredit Biden's victory in 2020.

Trump's ongoing efforts to overturn a legal election result (considered to be one of the safest elections in memory) has not slowed down since getting booted out of the White House.

From the start it was apparent that the bogus effort at auditing the 2020 election results in Arizona had two aims.

First, to discredit Biden's victory in the key county of Maricopa, that helped Biden become the first Democrat to win the state since 1996.

The second and even more important goal was to appease Trump and curry favor with his core supporters, whose devotion is the driving force with the Republican party today.

The whole shit show was a display of shameless misinformation and an assault on truth driven by a conspiracy-theory driven conservative media.

Predictably, Trump will attack the results after putting so much time and money into discrediting the 2020 election. His spin on it will come from the whole cloth of the Big Lie.

As other states consider "jumping the shark" to perpetuate Trump's attempt to destroy our electoral system, we'll see their efforts end in the same shameful way the Arizona one did.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

When Are We Going To Stop Giving Cranks Platforms?

There's platforms, and there's platforms.

One kind provides nothing but misinformation. 

The other kind provides facts and real news...up to a point.

Misinformation has become so popular Trump and his minions have crossed the Rubicon and bled into the mainstream news. People who should be locked up for their own safety, are guest hosts on national news and cable TV outlets.

Go back 20 years ago when someone like the Pillowclown, Mike Lindell, would have been laughed at so hard he wouldn't have been able to show his face in public for the rest of his life without being mocked.

Fast forward to Lindell today, a crazed conspiracist predicting Trump will become the president again on Thanksgiving. His prediction was picked up by the mainstream media.

It's bad enough that the other hate platforms like Fox, Newsmax, Oan, etc., exist to carry outrageous lies to extreme right-wing consumers, but crossing that line between fact and fiction is more than worrisome. It's dangerous to democracy.

Why would any serious news group want to promote a lunatic by giving them airtime?

The cynical answer is that people watch them (for whatever reason) and that equates to money. The almighty dollar gets bowed to more than anybody's god in the 21st century.

As a former newspaper editor and publisher, I've watched with growing dismay as the legitimate news business has become another whore to the bottom line.

What happened to integrity? Using common sense? How have facts suddenly become debatable?

It's not impossible to turn this around. Instead of being carried with the legitimate news, all crank features and Trumpworld news could be broadcast after the serious news is over. 

The news platforms could name the program "Today's Crank Fables" with the motto, "Don't Believe What You See and Hear - Unless We Say It."

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Fair Warning! Satire Ahead: Things To Do In Florida

Welcome to Florida, the Sunshine State, where science is banned, and no one can tell you what to do.

Attractions 

Watching the Trump supporters line the streets to his beach resort (mar-a-lago) every time his Orangeness is in town. It's free, and you'll get to see deplorables up close.

Take a tour bus that stops at all the locations where Trump held raucous rallies in 2016, and 2020. Vendors will be there offering MAGA gear at a discount.

Eat and Drink

Bon Apitit!  You don't have to worry about COVID masking restrictions when you go out for a meal because the governor doesn't believe in taking safety measures, and fights all attempts to mask anywhere, including the schools.

Outdoors

There's 15 places to find adventure, including the popular guided MAGA walk through the Everglades. The trail will be open all week this fall. Liability release forms for visitors available at numerous kiosks. 

Attend an outdoor lecture in the same Florida swamp that Trump and allies plotted the overthrow of Democracy. The lecture lasts 10 minutes because studies show no MAGA follower could focus any longer than that.

Make sure to take souvenirs from your visit to remind yourself how fun it was experiencing an alternate universe where Trump is still the president.

One of the most popular souvenirs is a T-shirt dissing Dr. Anthony Fauci (Don't Fauci My Florida) by truth denier Gov. Ron DeSantis on his website.

MAGA vendors reported a shortage of the T-shirts last week, but the supply problem was quickly corrected.

To guard against any facts supporting masking and vaccines, DeSantis appointed a State Surgeon General that thinks the earth is flat.

Enjoy your stay by taking a couple of simple precautions:

1. DO NOT wear Biden T-shirts or hats.

2. Avoid wearing too much blue clothing so you don't stand out in crowds and become a target for a right-wing extremist that might think you're a liberal.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Why Trump Didn't Support The Sept. 18 Right-Wing Rally

There was a calculated reason why Trump chose not to get involved in the Sept.18 rally supporting convicted insurrectionists.

He knew that violent rallies were no longer necessary because his fascist political movement is winning.

His minions have been busy changing voting laws in numerous states to promote voter suppression laws that target Democratic minorities.

Republican rallies have morphed into anti-mask rallies and critical-race theory rallies intended to obstruct the electoral process and to introduce chaos into local politics.

It's not so much the followers we should worry about. It's the authoritarian movement growing in what use to be the Republican party. With nearly half of Republicans believing the Jan. 6 coup attempt was legitimate protest the breakdown of reality has been devastating.

In an article by Aymann Ismail for Slate magazine he discusses "How Fascism Works."

"It has to do with follow the leader. So the leader is, by definition, law and order, and so anything that goes against the leader is a violation of law and order.

So if the police go against the leader, they’re not law and order. The fascist leader needs the police on his side because he needs them to crack heads when he seizes the election and does a coup, but if they’re not going to be for him, then the patriotic law-and-order people are the people who are attacking the police."

What's happening now is Trump is playing the long game after nine months of trying to overthrow the election with no results.

By mobilizing grassroots people to attack school boards the Trumpies are creating the type of chaos that benefits them the most. They're even taking over precinct-level positions.

Coupled with an all-out effort to discourage vaccinations for political reasons, the Republicans have decided on a scorched-earth policy of vicious lies to pander to an ever-fearful base.

Naturally, they don't appreciate the irony of literally dying unvaccinated so they can "own the libs."

Republicans are on the wrong side of reality and science, because they've surrendered to a wannabee dictator.

Monday, September 20, 2021

A Politically-Charged Pandemic Is Pummeling America And We're Helpless To Do Anything About It

National medical experts recently announced the current pandemic deaths are about to surpass the death toll of the infamous 1918 Pandemic.

There's a growing concern in the medical community that we're looking at annual pandemics where the COVID-19 virus will continue to mutant into deadlier versions every year because of politics.

Yes, politics. 

Not because we can't develop treatments and vaccines to combat the coronavirus. That was accomplished in record time.

What we can't seem to do is to overcome massive misinformation campaigns about how the whole pandemic is a hoax perpetuated by liberals or some deep state operatives that hate conservatives.

The situation doesn't look to change in the near future. The blue tribes and the red tribes are firmly separated by fact and fiction.

I recently read about two people who went into a restaurant in the South wearing facemasks because they wanted to be protected, but the owner kicked them out.

Why? Because he was one of too many assholes in the country that don't believe the pandemic is real; so he ejected the couple for WEARING facemasks.

A group of Texans went to a restaurant in NYC the other day where masks must be worn indoors. Members of the group assaulted the hostess (sending her to the hospital) and were arrested for assault.

The result is we're living in a "Groundhog Day" cycle where people continue to die needlessly because they won't get vaccinated, preferring instead to use bleach or ivermectin (a horse de-wormer) to combat the virus.

This opposition of facts has crystalized under the Trump regime, and continues to contaminate all attempts to unify people under facts and science. 

This may sound harsh, but needs to be said; if the red tribe wants to reject reality then it's their own damn fault when they die coughing their lungs out in a hospital.

At some point, after culling the herd of disbelievers, we may get a handle on the virus and avoid unnecessary pandemics in the future.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Like I said, 'Putting Up A Fence Is A Declaration of Fear'

Justice for J6 Rally. Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Less than 200 attended the right-wing event.

I asked the question are we overreacting to J6 Rally two days ago. In it, I asserted putting up a fence around the Capitol was a declaration of fear.

Today's much anticipated right-wing rally was so small (maybe 200 people) the question becomes more loaded. It was a case of bringing a bazooka to a slingshot fight.

There were 20 cops/National Guards for every one protestor. The rally lasted less than 90 minutes after it began around 12 p.m. ET. 

The highlight of the day happened 40 minutes into the rally when Capitol Police arrested a man who had a knife, for a weapons violation.

Other than that it could have just been another day in Portland, Oregon where protests never cease.

Takeaways:

--The potential for chaos made the rally politically toxic for leading Republicans, many of whom maintain the lie at the heart of the assault on the Capitol: that Trump's defeat was the result of election tampering.

--When none of the really crazy GOP senators or House members decided not to appear, or even promote the J6 rally, that was a big clue it wasn't going to be a massive crowd attending.

--Law authorities worked together to establish a game plan. Kudos for that.

--The world is wondering if American democracy can survive the domestic terrorists who've infiltered into the Republican party.

--The good news is protesting for domestic terrorists, and calling them patriots, was very low on everyone's list today. 

The next time there's a rally at the Capitol, I hope we don't have to see that damn fence go up around it making it appear that our nation is under constant siege. 

Friday, September 17, 2021

September Hypocrisy Award Ceremonies Set For Oct. 1

The September candidates vying for this months Biggest Hypocrite award are legion.

The contenders - all politicians or political activists {as usual} - have been summitting videos to a panel of three judges since the start of the month.

With under two weeks remaining, I expect to see a steady tide of hypocrites entering right up until Sept. 30th. 

Program note: This year a new Group Category has been added.

As of this post, the most hypocritical Group is 12 Republican Governors who are fighting-COVID-19 vaccination mandates, despite mandating other vaccines.

Top 4 Individual Candidates:

--Lindsey Graham, last month's winner, is looking for a repeat with accusations that Biden should never have left Afghanistan. It's a complete reversal from his past position, making him a strong contender.

--Mike Pence, continues to kowtow to Trump by being outwardly supportive of him, but in reality Pence is putting together a presidential campaign that would challenge Trump if he did run in 2024.

--Ted Cruz is an accomplished liar, but it's his hypocrisy about Afghanistan, his ill-timed trip to Cancun while his constituents froze their asses off during a major power outage in freezing conditions, that make him a viable candidate.

--Kevin McCarthy, could give a master class in hypocrisy. Thus far his tour-de-force was flip-flopping on Trump's accountability for the Jan. 6 insurrection. This month McCarthy, who is vaccinated, fired off a Twitter message opposing vaccine mandates.

The winner will be announced on Oct. 1st. It should be interesting to see if any of the candidates can crack the top 4 before the end of this month.

The master of ceremonies will be legendary hypocrite Newt Gingrich. 

Location: Guisippi's Pizza Parlor basement, on South Main, Jacksonville, Florida

Related: Social Hypocrisy Group on Facebook

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Are Authorities Overreacting to the Right-Wing's 'Justice for J6' Rally?

Watching barriers being erected around The Capitol because of a right-wing rally Saturday, was a sad sight.

Is this the new normal for protests in Washington DC? I realize the group gathering to protest incarcerated rioters from January 6 are antigovernment, but do they warrant barricades?

Unlike Jan. 6, there's not going to be thousands of protestors. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security estimates the anticipated crowd size will be around 700 people.

The national guard will be on alert. Local law enforcement agencies are communicating like never before. 

DHS has warned that lone offenders and small groups of individuals can "mobilize to violence with little-to-no warning, particularly in response to confrontational encounters with perceived opponents or calls for escalation by key influencers."  

The same Trump minion, Matt Braynard, who organized Saturday's rally, is planning similar rallies in 15 other states over the next month. Will they also require the same strict security and fences?

Turns out there's going to be a counter-rally at Freedom Plaza the same day. That doesn't bode well. It heightens the potential for violence. But with all the security that's going to be there the groups will be separated.

Rumors that the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers may attend are buzzing on social media platforms, but there's been no confirmation from either group.

The J6 rally is about supporting the rioters who assaulted the Capitol. Claims that the rioters are not getting justice and are being tortured in dark cells, echo throughout the right-wing messaging machine.

Based on what I've read and heard, this protest isn't going to be another Jan. 6. It will be another rally by extremists that's based upon lies, and it won't be the last.

I realize that the authorities don't want a repeat attack on the Capitol, but putting up that fence is a declaration of fear. What does the rest of the world think? That we've become a Banana Republic?

All the concerned agencies are prepared for the worst this time. Unlike the last time when the rioters caught everyone off guard.

The rally is scheduled to last a little more than an hour. Hopefully the fence will comedown immediately afterwards.

Related: Trump Defends Capitol Rioters Being 'Persecuted So Unfairly' Ahead of Sept. 18 Rally

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

As Our World Turns: Sometimes It's Like Living In An Alternate Universe

Strange Days. Dystopian Times. Ragnarok. Apocalypse Now. End Times.

Following current events in our society is like going on a safari in hell. It's getting harder to tell the difference between the truth and lies. They meld together seamlessly.

Look back ten years ago. Twenty years. Thirty years. And more. Who would have believed that a reality star and sociopath would become the president of the United States?

The brain drain of America (our lack of emphasis on funding the education system nationwide) has produced demoralizing results.

I'll say it. The percentage of stupid people seems to increase daily. And they go into politics because a crooked real estate guy got elected president, and {By God!} they should be able too regardless of experience.

Imagine. Todays Republican party bows to one demented individual. Real conservatives are acting like cockroaches and scurrying under rocks when Trump approaches.

Our reality has been so crazy it defies the imagination. A person can be excused for thinking they slipped into an alternative universe on any given day.

A former president attempted a coup and poisoned our electoral system.

But it doesn't matter! 

The GOP sheep genuflect when he wobbles into a room.

As far as I can tell, Trump may never pay for the multitude of sins he's committed during his chaotic regime, and after he lost the 2020 election.

It's hard to wrap your mind around that thought. Where's justice? Is there such a thing? 

It gets worse. We're experiencing Pandemic 2.0 because of stupid people who won't get vaccinated. To compound their stupidity they take medicines for animals, and bleach to fight COVID-19.

That's a recipe for a national disaster. Annual pandemics. We'll keep getting new mutations thanks to anti-vaxxers who do live in an alternate universe.

It's no easy task to remain grounded and in the "here-and-now" with all of the crazy things that people are saying and doing every single day.

Stay strong.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

There's Real Audits...Then There's Election Meddling Audits

Every state in the union was officially audited numerous times after the 2020 election when Biden beat Trump.

Even Trump cronies, like AG Bill Barr, said there was no evidence of fraud in the election. Yet, we're still hearing about so-called "audits."

After watching the audit debacle in Arizona for months it's painfully evident it's anything but a real AUDIT. It's a partisan grift to reinstate Trump and has been a constant source of mockery among the mainstream press.

Even some Republican Arizona lawmakers admit that the whole thing is a farce and nothing more than a right-wing fundraiser.

Kudos to the Philadelphia Inquirer for their recent article about audits - "Why We're Not Calling It an Audit." Take a moment, this is a good read.

Based upon reality, the paper explained that it's because "there's no indication" that this latest "forensic audit" effort in Pennsylvania "would follow the best practices or the common understanding of an audit among nonpartisan experts."

In other words, after months of Trump alleging baselessly that the election was rigged, this effort is just another grift to raise money. There's been no evidence shown to think otherwise.

Pennsylvania's fledgling attempt to conduct a "forensic audit" is based on the months-long partisan review in Arizona, widely regarded as irrevocably flawed and unnecessary to begin with, and initiated by Republican lawmakers carrying water for Trump.

Going forward we can expect more baseless attempts to overturn the 2020 election - it's baked into the base - along with new narratives coming from deep right conspiracy theorists who refuse to acknowledge facts and evidence.

Related: Trump Is Now Backing a QAnon Conspiracy Theorist To Run Arizona's Elections

Monday, September 13, 2021

Jen Psaki Pressers Not As Fun As Sarah Huckabee and Sean Spicer's Were

        Faux News' Peter Doocy and Jen Psake during White House briefing.

White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, is a no-nonsense kind of person who respects the press, but doesn't let some of it's members walk all over her.

Most of her pressers are boring. There's very little action going on, and fewer insults than in the previous administration.

In her defense, Psake doesn't have a lot to work with. If it wasn't for Faux News reporter, Peter Doocy, I wouldn't even watch the White House Q and A exchanges. I can usually count on him saying something stupid and partisan for a good laugh.

There's a few other reporters from right-wing organizations like Chanel Rion, for OAN, Emerald Robinson for Newsmax TV, and Elizabeth Moore for Breitbart, that provide sporadic entertainment.

But I miss the days of Sean Spicer, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders assaulting the press corps and lying about everything.

It was fun watching the pressers with Sean Spicer who often got beet red with anger while ranting at his tormentors who sought the truth. I knew I could count on Saturday Night Live to re-enact those hilarious episodes.

Then there was Sarah Huckabee Sanders. 

Most of the time she kept a straight face while rattling off a string of lies.

Sometimes her face got contorted and looked funny as she tried to defend the indefensible.

Throughout Trump's reign there was always a sense of anticipation at every press conference because you knew it could become a circus in a blink of an eye.

Nowadays, we have stoic Jen Psaki who doesn't speak from both sides of her mouth or asshole. 

Sure, the entertainment value nosedived (nothing for SNL to work with), but it's worth it to hear the truth, and not have to listen to alternate realities.

Trump's Lowest Grift Ever Saved for Holy Week

This is a story about how the devil's puppet, aka Donald Trump, mocked Christianity by selling a book combining the Bible, the Constitu...