itt we act disgusted at right wing savages

Roberto Saviano wrote an article about the history of U.S. policy in central america that is really good.

https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/03/07/migrant-caravan-made-in-usa/

Unfortunately it looks as though the article has been put behind a paywall now. Also, speaking of right wing savagery, Saviano is currently facing trial for a libel charge that could see him spend three years in prison. He is being brought to trial by Salvini (Italy's Interior Minister, Vice-Prime Minister, Leader of Lega, far-right political party) because Saviano has written extensively about Lega's connection to criminal syndicates operating in Calabria.

There is basically no way he ends up going to prison on these charges, but Salvini is weaponizing the law to try to silence political opposition in the country and it's disturbing and fucking gross.

Ned Braden wrote:I’m beyond angry at that piece of shit, obviously, but I actually came to post this:


“3 Mexican Countries.”
Ladies and gentlemen, Fox & Friends.

Do you ever feel like they do this shit on purpose?

Like, rather than have people upset that Trump is cutting aid, get ahead of the issue by making this hilarious mistake the subject of the discussion?

Or perhaps just throw it out there so assholes like me can wring their hands over it and sow further paranoia about how deep it all goes, etc

My problem with that kinda thinking, that Trump etc. do stupid and/or repugnant things to distract us from other stupid and/or repugnant things, is that either way a certain segment of society has to be OK with the distraction, and they've already proven themselves OK with lots of stupid and repugnant things.

Duff... wrote:Trump etc.

Definitely in the top ten worst Wilco songs.

I definitely don't think that it is intentional. Don't overthink these things. It isn't five-dimensional chess these people are playing, they are just really ignorant/uninformed/uncurious/etc.

undo wrote:Do you ever feel like they do this shit on purpose?

Like, rather than have people upset that Trump is cutting aid, get ahead of the issue by making this hilarious mistake the subject of the discussion?

Or perhaps just throw it out there so assholes like me can wring their hands over it and sow further paranoia about how deep it all goes, etc

It seems totally believable that a Fox News production intern doesn't really know what "Honduras" is.

I think to the extent that it's "intentional" is that they really just don't fucking care.

watching this John Kerry-Thomas Massie video makes me want to go back into counseling

I feel irresponsible and selfish bringing this up here, actually introducing it as something to think about or discuss.

I don't even know the purpose of this hearing or what consequences it has but it just shakes my faith in everything, and if it was nothing more than a political stunt, then maybe that was the point, and I'm actually complicit in it here.

undo wrote:watching this John Kerry-Thomas Massie video makes me want to go back into counseling

That exchange made me laugh so fucking hard. I guess I don't really understand why this particular moment would have made you so upset? He's just an incompetent asshole trying to use bad logic to discredit someone's work. I don't know... It's the behavior of pathetic amateurs with no ideas of their own.

The attacks against Ilhan from both sides of the political spectrum are way worse. I just saw the video that Trump posted and couldn't believe it. Seriously, where the fuck are Chuck and Nancy right now?

I really, really hope this doesn't get Ilhan killed, but I actually worry about her safety. Murdoch and Trump are inciting violence against an American congresswoman because of the color of her skin and the God that she worships. It's unprecedented and despicable. Every single Democrat needs to take a stand against this. My centrist congressman even made a statement about this.

Oh my fucking god I just saw Nancy's weak ass response as well. She literally used it as an opportunity to #ThankTheTroops. Well done you fucking twat.

Super depressing that I’m equally disgusted by Pelosi as I am Trump, the right wing media & 1 eyed soldier boy.

WP64 wrote:I guess I don't really understand why this particular moment would have made you so upset? He's just an incompetent asshole trying to use bad logic to discredit someone's work. I don't know... It's the behavior of pathetic amateurs with no ideas of their own.

I know we've accepted that juvenile Internet-style trolling by adults is now a big part of politics and a winning strategy, but I guess I thought that it had its place in campaigning and on social media, not that it was going to be a regularly accepted part of policy-forming procedure.

If the right wants to delegitimize the entire idea of government, with the ultimate goal of eliminating it completely, reducing it to a joke is not a bad place to start.

None of this was actually bad for Massie or his supporters. They believe they owned the libs yet again, made a complete fool of John Kerry, and will view anyone laughing at their expense with literally the exact same contempt as I have towards them. There's no incentive for them not to lie or make bad faith arguments so bad that they defy rebuttal, no matter how obvious it seems to anyone who isn't predisposed to agree with them.

Nick wrote:Super depressing that I’m equally disgusted by Pelosi as I am Trump, the right wing media & 1 eyed soldier boy.

Equally?

These hearings have kinda been a sideshow. This Massie thing reminds me of when Ted Cruz questioned Kerry and the secretary of energy at the time, who was some kinda super scientist. Cruz basically spoke gibberish at them, they told him as much, and Cruz pretended he'd pwned them or whatever.

Fuck you, Boris. Fuck you.

Now who's The Johnson

Telegraph forced to correct false Brexit claim by Boris Johnson

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/12/daily-telegraph-forced-correct-false-brexit-claim-boris-johnson?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Those are all valid things to be worried about, Undo. I think there are other material forces that are eroding people's faith in our democratic institutions that are much more threatening in the long-term. But yeah, Republicans making a mockery of congressional hearings and trying to delegitimize the concept of expert knowledge is obviously dangerous and bad.

we live in a hell world

Ian Millhiser
‏Verified account @imillhiser

Leaving SCOTUS now.
Court looks likely to vote along party lines to allow Trump to rig the Census. Roberts’ questions were less clear than other Republicans, but he did not seem sympathetic to challengers.
8:31 AM - 23 Apr 2019


Ian Millhiser
‏Verified account @imillhiser

In related news, the case for court-packing just got much stronger. If Roberts will tolerate lawbreaking this egregious in a voting rights case, our elections will soon be uncompetitive.

@AmichaiStein1
#BREAKING: Israeli PM Netanyahu says he will offer the goverment to approve naming a Village in the Golan Heights after President
@realDonaldTrump

Why isn't Jacob Wohl in jail?

I've been asking this for months.

https://twitter.com/conserv_cam/status/1128482986779766784

fighting for the lives of the unborn

Don't know why I'm singling this tweet out, it's just hitting me hard right now.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/opinion/biden-2020-millennials.html
This is pathetic clickbait and I don't understand why the New York Times insists on giving this pathetic worm of a human being a platform to write stuff like this.

The sensible center of America — that is, the people who choose presidents in this country — wants to see Donald Trump lose next year, but not if it means empowering the junior totalitarians of the left. Now is Biden’s chance to make it clear he’s just the man to fulfill that hope.

The good old sensible center of America that is super concerned about Harvey fucking Weinstein having access to the absolute best legal defense team possible. There are families in the midwest who can't sleep at night thinking about that how he might be denied legal representation from Harvard Law Professors because of those whiny students.

But believe me, their voices WILL be heard soon!

Is that another one of those articles where they go talk to the undecided voters of middle America but they're actually interviewing Trump campaign organizers

Nah, it's just another shitty Bret Stephens op-ed where he invokes the "sensible center" who are apparently defending themselves against the menace of twentysomethings who think healthcare is a human right and Harvey Weinstein should be in fucking prison.

Thank God we have Bret waging that righteous fucking war on their behalf though. Bless him.