Check back here every day for quick updates on the most recent news, political or just stuff I think is cool. I just thought of this at 9pm EST tonight, so it’ll be much more robust on a daily basis.
November 9, 2018 [8:05p]
PayPal is cracking down on accounts owned by Antifa and the Proud Boys, in what I believe to be the right decision ethically. Although I am obviously a liberal, I do not tolerate any kind of extremists. No matter how much I may secretly relish in a MAGA hat wearer getting smacked upside the head, violence is never okay.
A PayPal spokesperson basically said that a line needs to be drawn when it comes to hate and tolerance. “We work hard to achieve the right balance and to ensure that our decisions are values-driven and not political. We carefully review accounts and take action as appropriate. We do not allow PayPal services to be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory.”
Of course, there are critics of the move on both sides. Leftwingers do not agree with the lumping together of the Proud Boys and Antifa. I tend to agree, as a video of the Proud Boys I saw not too long ago was pretty haunting. It’s linked above, but I’m going to transcribe some quotes because it’s kind of spookier when you read it:
We will kill you. That’s the Proud Boys in a nutshell. We will kill you. We look nice, we seem soft, we have ‘boys’ in our name, but like Bill the Butcher and the Bowery Boys, we will kill you …
If you’re wearing a MAGA hat and some guy with a slightly punk demeanor comes up to you and says…”Are you pro-Trump?’ Choke him. Trust your instincts. Don’t listen to what he has to say. Choke him.
Fighting solves everything. We need more violence from the Trump people. Trump supporters, chock a motherfucker, choke a bitch, choke a tranny, get your fingers around the windpipe.
I’m disappointed in Trump supporters for not punching enough.
Get a fucking gun. Get ready to blow someone’s fucking head off.
Get in trouble, get arrested, get fired, let’s all get in this together. They can’t kill us all.
On the other hand, Antifa’s longest standing branch, Rose City Antifa, is far more organized and far less…psychotic. Here is their philosophy in terms of handling people they deem fascists:
Direct action includes all activity that immediately stops, subverts or opposes public organizing by fascists. Our two goals in this are: prevention and/or consequences. We assess each scenario to determine which of these two directives seems most relevant, and proceed accordingly. When it is not logistically possible to prevent fascist organizing itself, we provide consequences to the organizers.
It is true, Antifa groups have also threatened violence, but they typically veer from the original philosophy. With the Proud Boy’s, it’s coming right from the (drunk?) horse’s mouth.
Antifa also bestows the responsibility of educating as many individuals as possible about fascism, racism, and oppression. From all I have read on the Proud Boys, and in addition to their leader’s…unsettling video, their mission statement is riddled with typos and they clearly lack the organization of Antifa.
So, in a big way, PayPal’s move was a great one. Both groups are extreme, but in my opinion, one executes things in the wrong way, but has good intentions (fascism is bad); while the other is just a group of bullies who likes to go around beating people up because they feel they are entitled to.
November 9, 2018 [7:52p]
Master of the Universe, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is up and back to work from the hospital after her rib injury in the same way my stubborn Ukrainian mother would (and has). No excuses! Her biopic, On the Basis of Sex, also just came out today to mostly good reviews. I’ll post a review once I have the chance to see it, but it seems that the story is a bit glamorized, but still moving nonetheless.
The woman has a life worth celebrating. I can’t imagine being more proud of my accomplishments, while also living in a time wrought with fear and wondering if I’d make it to see the restoration of sanity and humanity in the country. She’s an 85-year-old champion for women’s rights, who’s seat on the Supreme Court means the difference between a Republican majority and a Republilcan M A J O R I T Y. With Ms. Ginsburg, Conservatives tip the scales at five justices, and liberals at four. A 6:3 ratio could be disastrous.
But I don’t want to think about it. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a warrior, and a few broken ribs (not to make light of the severity of any kind of broken bone at her age), can’t stop her. She will come out on top, and she will live to see all that she’s fought for still standing at the end of this national nightmare.
November 9, 2018 [12:30a]
Jeff Sessions didn’t forget to leave a pile of shit before fleeing the White House
Jeff Sessions couldn’t just leave the Trump administration as a martyr. He had to do one last crappy things to set us backward–make America great again, that is. Here’s the thing, as Trevor Noah so aptly pointed out after the murder of Philando Castile, an innocent Black man carrying a concealed, licensed weapon, who followed all of the NRA’s protocol was killed before he had a chance to complete his masterful memorization of the steps needed to notify a cop that you have a concealed carry.
Noah said that nothing has really changed, but with iPhones, and now, all cell phones, Black people have constant body cams. We can see the way they are treated, not from a far off, blurry dash cam with fuzzy audio, but from a crystal clear iPhone’s camera while you hear the experience of the witness while watching the brutality yourself.
The prevalence of cell phones has changed the landscape of accountability, and it feels like we’re in the middle of a scramble. The right is largely, and desperately, trying to make a blanket cover for cops who kill; while the left seems to have a tad more logical approach. I don’t say that because of my bias. I just say it because of the things I have witnessed. I hate to admit it, but the Facebook comment sections of anything remotely political are like the “ids” of every single American allowed to act freely behind the safety of a keyboard.
What He Did
Jeff Sessions has always stood firm as an advocate for law enforcement. I too, stand firm for them and support everything they do. But I still hold them accountable. I won’t go through the unnecessary death of every single Black man and woman in the last few years because it’s not something that’s going to change anyone’s mind. I think you can surmise how I feel on the matter.
For awhile, I felt bad for Sessions and Rosenstein today. Sad how they were forced out. But wait a minute, they signed up for this so, clearly, something is very wrong with them and Sessions had to make that absolutely clear for his departure.
Consent Decrees
On his way out, Jeff Sessions strengthened and mandated consent decrees. Just fucking kidding, he did the opposite, citing that federal limitations on local police departments “can lower police morale.” His rambling is unintelligible and extremely Trump-like. Click that link, and leave me the TL;DR in the comments because I officially can’t with this man. “I’m being fired, but let me do one more solid for criminals everywhere.”
Aw, Jeff doesn’t want the police to feel that there may be consequences for their actions. Gee, I wonder what kinds of implications on people of color that might have?
November 8, 2018
Mass Shooting in California Country Music Club, “Borderline”
In the early morning hours of Thursday, November 18, 2018, shots rang out through Borderline, a country music club celebrating “college night” in Thousand Oaks, California. When the smoke cleared, at least twelve people were confirmed dead, including an officer.
His weapon was a legally purchased Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun with an extended magazine. He was also armed with smoke bombs, which added to the chaos and confusion. Imagine one second you’re having a regular college night, and the next moment, the club is filled with smoke, gun shots are going off, and and it is pitch black.
It’s images like this that make these mass shootings unbearable. The randomness of it all, the “one minute you’re here, the next you’re gone,” aspect of it. I am not a major fan of using events like these to discuss gun laws because that’s the literal fuel for the “all shootings by white men are hoaxes” fire, but there really isn’t a more relevant time.
All the walnuts in the NRA are probably screeching, “Well, he purchased it legally and California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country.” Very true. However, MAYBE THEY’RE JUST NOT STRICT ENOUGH.
The best of background checks involve a name, address, criminal history, and an optional social security number (where’s all the uproar about that?) According to CNN, the process takes a few minutes over the phone, but some states have a short waiting period before they can actually purchase it.
If you’re looking for a laugh, here are some of the questions asked on ATF Form 4473:
Of course, lying on a Federal form must be *terrifying,* right? Not when a simple Google search walks you through the steps to get approved through your preferred medium, video or text.
Not only that, but you will also be reassured by the fact that your murderous impulses are totally worth the risk of lying on the form, since less than zero percent of people are persecuted for doing so.
First of all, let’s take a look at this line of questioning:
- “Are you under indictment for a felony…” Loophole: “I didn’t know what indictment meant.”
- Are you a fugitive from justice? Yes, let me answer this truthfully on a federal form. Sounds legit.
- Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution? Loophole: “Catch me if you can!”
- Have you ever been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions? “Have you ever been diagnosed with a mental illness from your service that was swept under the rug and never treated?”
- Have you ever been convicted of domestic violence? “No…of course not…”
Think about how many of these forms are received. Now think about the pace at which most government workers work. Even if they did catch something on this questionnaire, they’d probably be too late. And the fact of the matter is that they simply will not catch these things. According to a report by the United States Government Accountability Office, it seems to be a resources issue. The time it takes to investigate these matters could be spent on “more pressing” issues.
You know what might help there? If Trump actually pulled through on his promise and created some more jobs in this sector. That might help us do real background checks. But then he can’t pander to his base.
Either way, I’m sorry that we have been once again hit with a tragedy of such magnitude and we truly have no one to blame but ourselves and our stubborn refusal to look at common sense gun control.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg is Hospitalized and We’re All Offering Our Organs
RBG! RBG! RBG! Unfortunately, the hero to most women took a spill and fractured three ribs today. It is no secret that her health has been a major source of anxiety for Democrats, especially after Kavanaugh’s appointment.
The outspoken Supreme Court Justice fell in her office on Wednesday, and in typical stubborn senior fashion, made it to the hospital to find that her fall was worse than she thought.
I wouldn’t write her off just yet though. She has broken ribs before without skipping a beat, and she has almost an entire month to recover before court is back in session. Ruth is for the people, and she knows she is needed now more than ever. A few broken ribs won’t stop her. She has beaten cancer and heart surgery, she isn’t going to let the Republicans enjoy a 6-3 conservative majority.
Naturally, President Trump has not offered his condolences, as that might make him appear human. After all, he is not her biggest fan. He called remarks she made about him a “disgrace to the court,” and “highly inappropriate.”
I’ll allow you a moment to laugh. It’s ok. Ruth would too. Despite his nasty tweet, his usual cherry on top:
Well, she sounded as sharp as a tack to me. Way back before he won the election, here’s what she said to trigger his bullying:
- He is a “faker” with an “ego.” – I don’t even know where to start. Chronologically? Alphabetically?
- “‘I don’t even want to contemplate’ four years of a Trump presidency and the effect it could have on the high court.” – Girl, same. Never thought it would happen. Also, two words: Devil’s Triangle. By QAnon theorist standards, she’d be a prophet.
Although I will say, she definitely has one thing Trump doesn’t, the ability to realize she is wrong. She admitted later to regretting these statements. I am not as nice as her. He is no spring chicken. One day, he will fall and it will take ten men to pick up his greasy, orange, bloated body.
Prayers for a speedy recovery, RBG!
Mueller Protests
After the entirely predictable “You’re fired” handed out to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, I was curious as to how LEGALLY Trump could assign that random dude as interim AG when according to the BELOVED constitution, that position belonged to the Deputy AG, Rosenstein.
Alas, duped again. Rosenstein was fired this morning, and Trump’s goal is clear. His new appointment, Matthew Whittaker, will oversee Mueller’s investigation. As if it wasn’t clear enough what Trump was up to, His forced ousting of Sessions, in addition to his appointment are illegal. Hypothetically, this means anything Whittaker does would be invalid.
But who knows these days! Am I the only one who sits in wonder, pondering how a criminal can choose his own investigators and supreme court justices? Is that not strange?
Our government has a thing I wrote about earlier called “checks and balances.” All high level officials must go through a Senate hearing first to see whether they are qualified for the kind of clearance, responsibility, morality, and accountability one needs to have to work for the federal government.
The President is literally laughing in the face of the constitution. Once again, he thinks this is some twisted reality show in which the rules don’t really apply to him. Which begs the question, do they, though? I’m certain he will get away with this just like everything else, and you aren’t going to sit there and tell me he “didn’t know” he couldn’t appoint him. Even if he truly didn’t, that is super embarrassing, as the President should know the constitution. However, that is the best case we could hope for and we know it’s the worse option, so let’s just move right along.
What’s important right now is that about 900 protests against the firing of Mueller have erupted all over this proud nation. How long until Trump or one of his cronies says that George Soros paid them all?
Trump sees protests as a nuisance, something he wants to make more difficult.Trump hates Mueller, and surrounds himself with people who do too. And once they don’t…”You’re fired.”
Don’t stand for it, join the resistance against Trump’s crimes and LOCK HIM UP! This resource will tell you how.
The Snowflake Mafia 