I thought it might be important to remind ourselves just what kind of person has been put on the Oversight and Homeland Security Committees today: That was in 2018. Dear god. Marge today:
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A primer Paul Waldman with a very helpful reminder: Like many billionaires, Elon Musk apparently sees himself as a genius not only in areas where he has real experience but in all things, including politics and government. Which is why he tweeted this about the omnibus spending bill Congress passed last month: This is a common type of misinformation, one that swirled about with particular intensity regarding the omnibus bill. Not that Musk doesn’t believe it; I’m sure he does. His tweet shows how easy it is to be seduced by ideas that have intuitive appeal but are completely wrong. Let’s begin with Musk’s assertion and work our way through some other widespread but pernicious ideas about how politics works: “If members of Congress read bills before voting on them, legislation would be better.” How could anyone oppose that? But the truth is that most legislators usually don’t read the text —and that’s fine. It isn’t because they’re lazy. It’s because legislation involves a specialized type of language, written by experts for purposes that have nothing to do with understanding and wise decision-making.
"It is inappropriate to wave a flag that's linked to unprovoked military incursions"
The Albuquerque PD did The first few bullets fired through homes and buildings in Albuquerque, New Mexico beginning in early December appeared random. But by January 3, after multiple similar attacks, Albuquerque police Chief Harold Medina opened an investigation into what appeared to be a pattern. No one was injured in the shootings. On Monday, SWAT officers surrounded the home of a man they allege was the “mastermind” behind a conspiracy to attack Democratic officials’ homes. Suspect Solomon Pena, reports the Albuquerque Journal, “is a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for office in November, has made repeated claims that the election was rigged and appears to have attended the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in Washington, D.C.” Police allege Pena himself fired on at least one of the homes and that he hired four other men to commit the other shooting attacks against the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators: Pena ran unsuccessfully in the House District 14 race and claimed on social media he should have won the election.
Us vs. Them on steroids What drove our disloyal opposition to reject democracy for autocracy and authoritarian strongmen? Amanda Marcotte interviews Jared Yates Sexton whose new book, “The Midnight Kingdom: A History of Power, Paranoia, and the Coming Crisis,” plumbs the depths of the Grand Old Personality disorder crowd. Growing up as he did in “a really problematic, radicalized environment” makes QAnon and other eschatological beliefs quite familar. “When you take a look at these ideas and these conspiracy theories, one of the things you start to realize is if you believe these things, if these actually build the world around you or the way that you interact with politics or even your neighbors or your day-to-day life, you’re living in literal terror,” Sexton tells Salon. “And when you feel that way, when you believe that you’re in the middle of a supernatural battle, you literally will do anything in order to protect yourself and the people around you.” It’s Us vs. Them on steroids.
Perhaps you should look into this? Via salon: A human rights organization founded by slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi is calling on Congress and the Justice Department to investigate former President Donald Trump’s business deals with a controversial golf company owned by the Saudi Arabian government and controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. Nonprofit Democracy for the Arab World Now said LIV Golf, a tournament franchise and PGA Golf rival, paid Trump-owned golf resorts “unknown millions of dollars” to host events.
DeSantis is going to go through some things.
"It's out of science fiction. How are they going to guess who’s going to be disruptive?” one leading campaigner asked Byline Times
Parlamentares que defenderam ou minimizaram terrorismo em Brasília editaram e apagaram posts para esconder apoio aos atos de 8 de janeiro.
The post Esses deputados estão fingindo nunca ter apoiado os terroristas após posts comprometedores appeared first on The Intercept.
This piece by Peter Drier sums it up for those guys who want to appropriate King for their one single purpose: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was no moderate. Today, he is viewed as something of an American saint. His name adorns schools and street signs. His birthday January 15, 1929 – is observed as a national holiday on the third Monday of January each year. This year as in year’s past, Americans from across the political spectrum invoke King’s name to justify their beliefs and actions. But in his day, King was considered a dangerous troublemaker. Both Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson worried that King was being influenced by Communists. King was harassed by the FBI and vilified in the media. The establishment’s campaign to denigrate King worked. In August 1966 – as King was bringing his civil rights campaign to Northern cities to address poverty, slums, housing segregation and bank lending discrimination—the Gallup Poll found that 63% of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of King, compared with 33% who viewed him favorably. King called himself a democratic socialist.